Junkie Turned Angel
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: This story takes place in Season 4 where Luke found Nicole creeping with the sockman. Instead of Luke calling Lorelai to bail him out of jail, he calls her to pick him up from a bar. LAST CHAPTER IS A LITTLE IFFY. JUST A WARNING.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Characters were created by the Paladinos and are currently being f 'd up by Rosenthal. I don't own them.**

**Author's Note:** Okay, I thought I had written my last fic for the year. Turns out I was wrong. This will be my last, though b/c New Year's is 3 days away, and I'm fresh outta ideas. I'm sitting here at work with nothing productive to do, so I just started to type. This story takes place in Season 4- where Luke found Nicole creeping with the sockman. Instead of Luke calling Lorelai to bail him out of jail, he calls her to pick him up from a bar. I can't remember if that was the spring break episode or not, but it is here. Rory didn't go to Florida, though. I hope you like it. Thanks for all previous love. Let me take a moment and reiterate how much I adore you guys. Just throw that out there real quick :-P

**Junkie Turned Angel **

Lorelai pulled up in front of the bar. She had had to look up the address in the phone book since all Luke had provided her with was the name of the establishment. Thirty minutes ago, she'd gotten home from her date with Jason to discover a message on her machine from a guy who vaguely sounded like Luke Danes. He had asked her to come and pick him up because he was not fit to drive. She found out the location, grabbed her keys, and was out of the door in no time.

She threw her car in park and stepped out into the chilly air.

Several men and women stood outside and a few of the men called out to her as she walked past but she smiled and kept walking.

When she was through the door, loud country music invaded her eardrums. She spotted Luke at the bar, so she moved through the crowd of people toward him. When she reached him, she patted his shoulder. "Taxi's here," she said leaning in.

Luke spun around in his seat. As soon as he saw her, he broke out in a wide grin. "Lorelai!" He said loudly. Lorelai's eyes went wide at his outburst. He was drunk. Really drunk. "Lorelai," he continued, "I'd like you to meet somebody." He stood up and slapped his hand on the shoulder of the guy seated next to him. "This is Billy," he said.

The guy looked at Lorelai and smiled. "My name is Pete," he corrected to her.

Luke stepped back and looked at the man sideways. "Really?" He asked dubiously. He scrunched up his face. "You know I'm not seein' it? I'll just call you Billy. It suits you." He looked back to Lorelai just as she was offering an apologetic shrug to Pete. "Billy," Luke continued looking happily to Lorelai, "I'd like you to meet Lorelai." He looked back to the guy. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

Pete looked up to her with an uncomfortable smile, and Lorelai looked back to him with the same one on her face.

She grabbed his sleeve. "Okay Luke, let's get you out of here." He leaned into her pull but still stood firm as he continued.

"But don't think about asking her out, Billy." He leaned forward. "She has a boyfriend." Pete raised his eyebrows in a way that suggested he'd rather be anywhere other than where he was.

"Uh, Luke, I'm double-parked. Let's go."

Luke squinted at Lorelai and widened his eyes as if he was trying to focus on her. "This is a bar," he began. "One guy's parked through the bathroom. Just feel happy that you found the parking lot."

"Luke, let's go," she repeated firmly. She looked down to his companion. "We're about to go. Nice to meet you, Pete," she said winking. Pete nodded and turned back toward the counter.

Luke gave Lorelai a lazy smile as she yanked him toward the door. "Bye, Billy!" He yelled.

She let him go once he started to follow willingly. Once they reached the door, several people started walking in the bar so Lorelai stood holding the door open. Luke walked directly against her backside, and she turned her head quickly thinking some drunk stranger was trying to grope her.

Upon seeing Luke, her expression of borderline anger changed to one of confusion and then shock at seeing that he was quite comfortable with his position. He placed his hands on her hips as he let his chin rest on her shoulder like he was doing nothing out of the ordinary.

The people had entered, but she allowed the door to close as she stepped away from Luke and turned to face him with her mouth partially open.

"What?" Luke asked with a grin. "The door's free. Come on." He waved her over before walking out leaving her standing there looking wide-eyed at him. She pulled herself together before walking out. As soon as she was outside, shouts started being directed at her once again, complimenting her in ways that was flattering, but rude nonetheless. Luke stopped and turned around, stumbling slightly as he reached an arm out to her. He did it more as a gesture to usher her ahead of him - - a protective move that played out even in his drunken state. She moved ahead of him, keeping a watchful eye on him as she did so.

They reached her jeep, and she started to walk around to the drivers' side but stopped at the passenger side door instead. She figured Luke may need a little help getting in. Standing at the door fumbling for her key, she felt Luke, once again, walk up behind her. He didn't walk flush against her this time. Instead, he reached a hand up and moved her hair to one side, and placed his mouth centimeters from her neck. She could feel his warm breath flowing against her skin.

She dropped her keys. "Luke!" She exclaimed as she stepped to the side. "What are you doing?" She asked slowly.

He held his hands up in a gesture that suggested he had no idea what she was talking about. He dropped his hands, licked his lips and bent down to retrieve her car keys. He had to hold onto the jeep for support.

"You dropped these," he said reaching the keys to her.

Lorelai regarded him for a minute before reaching out and grabbing the keys. "Thanks," she said caustically. She moved around him, pointing a finger in his face. "Do not do that again," she warned. She wasn't mad. Not even close, but she was on guard. She unlocked the door quickly and turned back even quicker making sure he was in the same location.

His eyes were drooped, and he broke out in another wide smile. "See," he said holding his arms out, "I'm being a good boy." Lorelai bit her lip as she tried to fight back a smile.

"Come on and get in," she said opening the door. He walked over and climbed in no problem. She closed the door and walked around to her side finding the door already unlocked. "Thanks," she said climbing in. "Now, let's- -" She stopped and took in Luke's proximity. He was seated right next to her, so close that she could look in her rear view mirror and see him without even leaning up. "Did you want to operate the accelerator?" She asked him as he sat looking at her.

He shook his head playfully. "I think I'm drunk," he whispered. "I can't drive."

"No kidding," she muttered. Lorelai looked around him to the large amount of empty seat. She looked back up in his face with a look of amusement. "Don't you think it'd be a good idea to slide over to where your seatbelt is?"

He turned his head and looked at his seatbelt before turning back to her. "Can't we just share yours?" His eyes dropped to Lorelai's body.

"Luke?!" She said loudly as she lifted his chin. The volume arose from shock at his actions as well as shock at her brief internal tingle. "Get over there _now_, put on your seatbelt, and…stop doing that!" She finished.

"Okay, I'm moving," he said with a still present grin. He reached up and lightly wrapped his fingers around her wrist, removing it from his face. She looked down to her wrist as if interrogating it about the not-so-small frisson that had shot up at his touch.

He moved over to his side. He fumbled with his belt buckle as he struggled to find the slot. He looked up at Lorelai. "Something's wrong with your seatbelt," he told her.

She shook her head. "Here," she said reaching for the strap. He tried to reach it to her, but it had locked. He continued to yank on it like something was just wrong with his strength. "Luke," Lorelai said scooting over a little, "you have to let it go back in and then extract it." She leaned over him to demonstrate her words. His head followed her actions, and his left hand went to rest on her right hip. She pulled the seatbelt back out and slid back to secure it across him. His hand fell away from her body.

She scooted back to her side and released a heavy sigh, taking time to fasten her own seatbelt. "My, aren't you a touchy drunk?" She said calmly as she cranked up the jeep.

She pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. Luke started to shift, and she threw a glance over to him. "Are you okay?" She asked as he continued to squirm.

"No, I'm fine," he said. He reached a hand up and wiped at his face. "It's just hot!"

"It's probably the alcohol. Crack your window a little," she advised.

"It's cold outside," he said rationally.

"Okay, well, don't crack your window a little," she said, watching him continue to fidget.

"Maybe if I just—" He un-clicked his seatbelt. "Ah, that's better," he said sliding down on the seat.

"Luke, your seatbelt is not making you hot. Put it back on," she told him.

He rolled his head against the seat turning to face her. "I don't want to put it back on. It's hot!"

Lorelai held up a hand. "Okay…then just…be really still."

He smiled. "I can do that."

Lorelai clicked on her signal and merged onto the highway. She relaxed a bit. "So," she began, "how was your night?" She asked with the tiniest bit of sarcasm.

He shrugged. "It was fine," he said looking out of the window. "My marriage is over," he added casually.

"What? Why?" Lorelai asked.

He released a sigh. "I don't wanna talk about it." He turned back to look at her, and she continued to split her attention between him and the highway. "You look pretty," he said.

Lorelai felt herself blush. "Thank you," she said as if she was trying to appease a small child.

"You do," he assured. He reached out a hand and slid it down the side of her leg. "Soft," he said low before dropping his fingers to the seat.

She had on a skirt, and his fingertips had grazed the part of her leg where the split lay. Her breath hitched, and her eyes fell to his hand. "We're gonna, um, get you home and into bed—"

"I'd like that," he said in a throaty tone.

"ALONE," she continued with a smile that she didn't even know was present, "…where you can get some rest."

"Whatever you say," he said yawning.

Along the ride, Luke had chosen to lay down on the seat, his head resting beside Lorelai as he looked up at her. At first he would occasionally reach up and touch her arm or her shoulder, and she'd gently remove his hand with no firm objection.

When they were about ten minutes outside of Stars Hollow, he reached a hand up and started to play with strands of her hair. Lorelai looked down to him, and saw on his face a look of concentration like he was her hairstylist in the middle of a masterpiece. She smiled at him and continued to drive.

His fingers running through her hair seemed to soothe her. It seemed like some kind of touch therapy that served to relax her and allow her mind to slip into a peaceful, carefree state. The ten minute drive seemed to fly by. She drove by the sign welcoming them to Stars Hollow. "We're here," she said quietly.

He pulled his hand away and struggled to sit up. Lorelai looked quickly at him, missing the contact in her hair.

He finally managed to get vertical, and he slid closer to her. "Hey," he said softly, leaning against the chair.

Lorelai rolled her eyes with a smile. "Hey Luke." She looked over at him and did a double take when she noticed his gaze on her legs. "Do not," she said simply.

His gaze rested on her parted legs. A corner of his mouth turned up. "Do not what?" He asked lazily. His tongue came out ran across his bottom lip as he glanced back up at her.

Lorelai completely forgot about the road as she watched him for a second. He was being very bold, and she momentarily wondered why she had just been so entranced by his tongue running over his lip.

She turned back toward the road. "Luke, scoot back over to your side," she said half-heartedly.

"But I want to thank you for coming to get me."

"Okay, you just did. And you're welcome."

"But, I want to show—"

"Luke," Lorelai said grabbing his hand before it made contact with her leg, "we really have to get you some coffee."

"I hate coffee."

She released his hand. "I know, but it'll help you sober up." She drove past Mrs. Kim's Antique store and squinted as she saw a familiar form. "Rory!" She said stopping next to her. Rory was about to climb into her car, but turned and walked over to her mom's jeep.

"Hey Mom." She walked closer, noticing the passenger. "Hey Luke," she added. "Where are you guys coming- - uh, Mom, why is Luke running his hand up your thigh?"

Lorelai looked to Luke casually before lifting his hand and placing it in his lap without a second thought. She turned back to Rory. "Well, Honey, Luke is a little inebriated. And apparently drunk-Luke equals extremely uninhibited horny-Luke," she ended with a smile.

Luke was now leaning back on the seat with his eyes closed, completely oblivious to the conversation going on about him.

"Oh," Rory said with amusement. "Well, that sounds fun for you."

"You have no idea," Lorelai responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Is he going to be okay?" Rory asked.

Lorelai looked over at him. "He'll be fine, Hon. Just a rough night."

"Okay, well you go ahead and get him home. I'll call you later."

"Alright. You heading back to school?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get a jumpstart on some reading."

"That's my little Spring Break queen. I'll see you later, then?" Rory nodded and walked closer, placing a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Next time you come home, how about giving me a call? I would've totally ditched Jason if I'd have known you were in town." Lorelai winked at her.

"I'm sure he would have loved that," Rory responded.

"Hey, Gilmore girl comes first," she said with a wide smile. She reached out and squeezed her hand. "Drive safe back to Hartford." Rory nodded, and Lorelai pulled off.

A few minutes later she pulled up in from of the market.

"Okay, I'm going to go in Doose's for a minute to get you some headache medicine because you _will_ need it. _Stay right here_." She spoke to him even though he didn't seem to be cognizant. "Luke," she called evenly. "Even better," she said to herself as she climbed out of the jeep, closing the door lightly.

She walked in the store and headed straight toward the aisle where the aspirin were. She picked up a box without even stopping before heading toward the food aisle. She figured she'd pick him up a few things just in case he didn't have any hangover food in his apartment. She laughed to herself as she pictured him trying to settle his stomach with several pieces of celery.

A group of girls came in the store, and Lorelai took immediate notice because of how loud they were. They looked to be about 25, and she guessed between the four of them, they had to have an IQ of around 200. Not just because they were too beautiful to be smart, but because they just didn't look too bright. The fact that everything they said sounded like a question was beside the point.

The door opened again, and Lorelai looked up briefly, and her eyes went wide when she saw Luke stumbling inside. "Oh crap," Lorelai mumbled. She looked at Luke, and then she looked at the girls that were standing near. Her first thought was that he was going to try to feel them up, and they would be ready to press charges, not knowing him well enough to know that he'd never do anything to hurt them.

They tried to whisper, but were shamefully loud in doing so—another hint that Lorelai's presumed IQ for them wasn't that far off mark.

"He is cute. Go ahead. You're the one with a thing for older guys," dumb-ass one said to dumb-ass two.

"He seems hammered, though," dumb-ass two said.

"But he's really hot. If you're not going to go for it, I will."

"Well, one of you guys need to do something," dumb-ass three chimed in.

Lorelai rolled her eyes at them as Luke made his way through the door. She knew that Luke would make a pass because he was uncharacteristically frisky in his intoxication, and there were four young, hot, apparently willing females at his disposal.

She looked from him to them, not making the logical choice to just go over and get him. Luke came in the door and stood there for a second as he looked around the small store. He spotted Lorelai and broke out in a wide grin before heading over to where she stood looking at him.

All four of the girls stood in the path leading to her. As soon as Luke noticed them, Lorelai's breath caught. "This won't be good," she muttered to herself. Luke looked up and looked confusedly from face to face as if they'd sprung up from nowhere.

"Excuse me," he slurred as he tried to pass by.

"Wait," one of them said. Lorelai's head reared back at the very forward dumb-ass two. "I was kind of wondering if maybe I could give you a call sometime," she said looking up at him.

Luke's head reared back the same as Lorelai's had. He seemed to sober up when he replied, "No, thank you." He tried to move past them, and dumb-ass two placed her hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Are you sure? I could really make it worth your while."

"I am very sure." He looked down to her hand. "Do you mind?" He asked looking at her annoyed.

"Suit yourself," she said removing her hand. "Your loss." He walked around them with steady steps, his eyes concentrating on avoiding body contact with all of them.

"Man, is he gay."

"Sooo into guys," another replied causing a series of dumb-ass giggles.

Lorelai stood there witnessing the whole thing play out in front of her. She watched Luke as he made his way over to her, and her first thought was that he had managed to sober up a bit. He got to her aisle and the goofy smile returned to his face.

"I thought I told you to stay in the jeep, mister," Lorelai said lightly.

"I missed you," he said coming over to her and placing his arm around her shoulder. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered. She tried to ignore the butterflies that sprung up in her stomach. "You can't keep doing that."

"I know," he said closing his eyes lazily. "I know you have a _boyfriend_." He removed his arm. "I'll stop. I'll be good. I'm sorry."

She thought that he had slipped partially out of his alcohol high, but he was still in full effect. She wondered why he hadn't been affected by the four temptresses. Any man would have been, and if he was drunk, that would have only hightened his attraction.

She looked up at him and saw a sudden sadness. She stepped closer to him. "I just don't want you to do anything you're going to regret tomorrow. That's all."

"I won't regret anything that I do with you," he said as he reached out and grabbed the shelf that held canned goods.

She looked at him seriously for a few seconds. The genuineness of his words threw her for a moment. "Let's go, okay?" She took hold of his wrist and started walking toward the checkout counter. Luke pulled his arm back, causing his hand to slip into hers, and she turned back, looking at him and then their intertwined fingers. She turned back around, deciding that there was no harm in it.

They reached checkout where Taylor's niece was slowly ringing up the first of the two customers that stood there. Lorelai sighed heavily, not wanting to stand in line waiting forever for the girl to finish. She stopped behind the elderly gentleman in front of her and placed her items on the belt. Luke stopped beside her, his hand still inside of hers. He breathed deep too, noticing the small line of people.

Lorelai looked down again to their hands when she felt Luke's other hand come over hers. He slid his right hand out and replaced it with his left as he moved to stand behind her. Lorelai released a tired sigh, having grown tired of reprimanding him. He stepped behind her and slowly came to stand right up on her body.

"Luke," Lorelai said with a warning tone.

"Just tell me to stop, and I'll stop," he said into her ear. Lorelai could smell the beer on his breath. Not one to get turned on by drunk men, she wondered why she was having a little trouble getting words out. This was Luke. Luke represented friend and coffee god, and the feeling that was slowly building with his proximity didn't fit in any of those descriptions.

"Luke, I told you," she said with little heart.

"You told me what?" His lips actually managed to touch her ear that time. Lorelai's eyes slid shut, and she snapped them open quickly.

She pulled on his hand, bringing him back to her side. She looked up at him. "Stand there. Do not move," she said sternly as she released his hand. He nodded with a half smile.

-------------

Lorelai stood in Luke's kitchen unloading the items that she had gotten for his morning hangover. "Man, you really do eat healthy," she said as she held the refrigerator door open. "You must have a BMI of like two percent."

"Six," he replied as he lay stretched out on his bed. "Six percent," he sang out. "Six percent. And that's still not enough for old Nicole. Oooold Nicole," he finished indolently.

Lorelai closed the refrigerator door and started to walk over to where he was. "You want to tell me what happened?" She asked softly as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"There's nothing to tell," he said rolling his neck to look at her. "I went distant. She went bye bye with the sockman."

"Oh my god. So, there was something with the socks?"

"There was something with the socks," he confirmed. He paused. "I followed her. I followed her…like Batman creeping in the shadowy shadows, and guess where they went?" He didn't give her time to answer. "They went up the stairs and into the house, and they stayed there for one hour, then two hours." He raised his eyebrows. "So, I left. I left to go have a beer," he stated proudly. "It beat my first idea of going to kick the shit out of sockman's car. That would have taught him. Bastard."

"Luke, maybe—"

"But he didn't do anything. He probably didn't even know about me. It was her. Nicole, my wife. My wife," he repeated. He started to chuckle. "What the hell was I thinking?" He asked laughing harder. "Well," he breathed out. "If it wasn't over before, it definitely is now." He laughed again. "That's for damn sure."

"I'm sorry," Lorelai said shaking her head. "You don't deserve to be treated like that."

"Yeah, I did."

Lorelai's head turned quickly to him. "No, you did not," she said firmly.

"I didn't want to be in there with her. She knew it. I went distant. She left," he repeated.

"In where?"

"In the relationship," he answered. "Nicole's a very smart woman. I knew she wouldn't put up with it for too long. But I couldn't help it. I just didn't want to be in it with her."

"Well, even if you…'went distant', that doesn't justify her indiscretion, Luke. She should have talked to you. And if that didn't work, she should have ended the relationship, gotten a divorce, and then called…the sockman. None of this is your fault. And I do not want you thinking it is."

"Okay, but that still doesn't stop the fact that it is." He looked at her when he saw her shaking her head in his peripherals. "You know, she really didn't care for you," he said, ignoring her objection.

Lorelai looked at him with a smirk. "Thank you for telling me that," she said sarcastically. He smiled. "And just for the record," she continued, "the feeling was mutual."

"Was it?" Luke asked. She gave him a small nod. A long silence followed her admission where Luke just stared at her with a telling grin on his face.

"Stop looking at me like that," Lorelai said turning away.

"Okay," he said simply.

Lorelai glanced back at him, noticing his gaze now toward the ceiling. "Okay, I'm going to go ahead and take off. I doubt you'll get sick, but I put a trashcan next to the bed because you can never be too sure. And, in the morning, you can eat some pancakes. I put the mix in the cabinet next to the frige."

"Why do you have to leave? We can stay up late and talk or something."

"Luke, I can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"Because…I can't stay here."

"Nice argument."

"It's going to have to do," she responded standing up.

"Wait." Luke stood up too, but almost fell over his dresser when he did.

"Watch it!" She yelled reaching for him.

He regained his footing, grasping her elbows as she held on to him. "Excuse to touch me?"

She smiled. "An excuse to _have_ me touch you?" She asked playfully.

He bent down and flipped a switch on his clock radio. He swayed a bit, but held a light grip on Lorelai's arm to hold her in place.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she held her hands out in case of an emergency rescue. He continued to change the dial until an instrumental slow song came through clearly. "Luke, what are you doing?" She asked him again.

He stood up. "Can I have this dance?" He asked her.

Lorelai started to laugh. "Are you kidding me?" She looked down at his hand that he had extended toward her. "Luke, you are drunk. I am not dancing with you."

He started to nod. "I'm a pretty good dancer," he urged.

"I don't doubt that, but 'pretty good' will mean nothing when you stumble and knock yourself out cold."

He considered her words for a moment. "Okay," he conceded. He dropped his hand and walked toward the kitchen, music still playing. "You want some water? Or some wine?"

"You don't have any wine," Lorelai said knowingly, figuring he probably didn't.

"No, I don't, but would you stay if I did?"

She laughed and shook her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Luke." She started walking toward the door. "Call me if you need something…or tomorrow when _Luke_ returns. Whichever comes first."

"Like you would stay for _Luke_," he mumbled.

"What?" She asked pausing at the door.

"I am Luke, and I'm asking you to stay," he said shrugging.

"I know you're Luke, but you're not…_Luke_."

"And you would stay for Luke?"

Lorelai stared at him before shaking her head briskly. "Okay, this is getting confusing."

He ignored her. "Wait, I'll get him for you." He held up a finger to her. "Luke!" He called.

"Luke—"

"Luke!" He continued. "Where are you, buddy?"

"Luke—"

"Lorelai's here, Luke. She wants you! She wants you to come and pour her coffee and be her shoulder. She needs you, man." Lorelai fell silent, and her hand fell off of the door knob. "Lucas," he sang. He turned and looked at her. "I hate that name," he said to her. He turned back and looked under the table. "Luke, where are you, you handsome devil?"

"Luke, stop," Lorelai said softly.

"I haven't found him yet. What, you don't want him any more?" He waved his hand. "Of course you don't. You never did. Luke's the kind of guy that would stick around and raise his kids. Luke's the kind of guy that wouldn't take off and leave a SIXTEEN year old girl to be a mother _and_ a father to her child. Of course you don't want him. He's not your type."

"Okay," she said holding up a hand. "Drunk or not, that was really uncalled for."

"Whatever," he said walking over to and then flopping down on the couch.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Where the hell did that come from?" She asked.

"It came from nowhere. You can go if you want to," he said. "I'll be fine."

"No, no," she said walking over and sitting beside him. "You are not about to get out of this so easily. I want to know where that came from, Luke." She waited for an answer. "Do you think I use you?" She asked after a while.

"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that," he said sliding down on the chair.

"Why did you say it, then?"

He shook his head. "I'm a jerk. I really shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're not a jerk, which is why I'm wondering if that's the way you really feel."

He looked at her and turned away. "No, it's not." He reached up at rubbed his face. "Alcohol talking."

Lorelai felt the need to remind him that alcohol only makes you more apt to verbalize emotions that you wouldn't reveal otherwise. She felt that that would only start course on a winding road with neither of them getting anywhere, though.

"How do you feel about me?" She heard him ask.

She turned and looked fully at him. "What do you mean?"

He repeated his question, and she just looked at him and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Luke, I'm not about to answer that right now."

"Why?"

"Because," she said. "You're drunk, and if you were asking as Luke, then it'd be different, but you're not, and your intentions are not really…Luke-like."

"Okay, can we stop with that already? I'm Luke. I'm asking," he said pointing to himself. "Talk to me."

"You are not Luke," she said simply.

"Then, who am I if I'm not Luke, Lorelai?"

"Gropey McGroperson? I don't know," she said laughing.

He released a sigh. "Forget it," he said softly.

"You're not going to have much memory after tonight anyway, so it won't matter what I say to you."

"You're acting like I'm asking you what the secret meaning of life is or something." She smiled. "It's a simple question." He spoke in a gentle tone. "Just…tell me how you see me."

She shrugged lightly and looked quickly around the room as if generating speech. She finally released a tired sigh and settled her eyes on Luke. "You want to know how I see you, Luke?" He nodded eagerly. "Fine, I'll tell you." She moved her hair behind her ear.

She started speaking as if she was retelling a story that she had told thousands of times. "You're Luke," she began. "Friend, confidante, protector, listener, and giver of everything, including the best coffee I've ever tasted. Sometimes I think that you'll one day grow tired of me and ditch me like a bad habit- like one day I'll become your twelfth step or something. I have no idea why you continue to put up with me, but I have always dreaded that one day when I would see you and you would inform me that you can't take me anymore, that you've had enough of me. And apparently, that day is today."

He stared at her expressionlessly, and she looked back to him. "So, how do you feel about me?" Luke asked her.

She gave him a confused look. "I just told you." He continued to stare at her. "What do you want me to say?" She asked. He continued his stare, until she broke contact. She started to say something but was interrupted by her cell phone buzzing.

Lorelai looked down at the caller ID before answering. "Hey," she said. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. Decided not to go on your business trip?" Pause. "Yeah, of course not," she said smiling. She looked back at Luke as he sat looking down at the coffee table. "Oh," she continued. "I told you that you would forget it." Pause. "Well, I'm not there right now but go ahead and let yourself in. Key in the turtle." Pause. "At a friend's house." Pause. She started to smooth her hands over her skirt nervously. "No, Luke." Pause. "Well, look at you all jealous. Totally loving the Eric Stoltz's Mr. Grimm thing." She chuckled. She tossed another glance back to Luke and he was still looking down. She stood up and started to cross the room. "No, I'm probably going to be here for a little while longer." Pause. "Jason, please. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow, okay?" Pause. "Jason? You there?" Pause. "Thought you had hung up. I'll talk to you tomorrow?" Pause. "Are you upset?" Pause. "No, you just sound like your mood kind of shifted." Pause. Her voice was much less enthused. "I told you I won't be back for a while." Pause. "Jason, please don't act like that, okay? I can't take it right now." Pause. "Okay, fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she finished quietly.

She flipped her phone shut before walking back over to where Luke sat. "Trouble in paradise?"

She looked at him. "It's nothing I can't handle," she told him.

"You can leave if you want to. Thank you for putting up with me."

She turned her entire body to face him and tucked a leg under her other leg. Her skirt came up, exposing even more skin, and Luke's gaze immediately fell to that part of her body. She snapped her finger. "Eyes up," she instructed, not bothering to change positions. He raised his eyes back up with a smile. She started to speak.

"You asked me how I feel about you." She continued without giving him a chance to respond to her statement. With a sudden burst of confidence, she began. "Every since I got a chance to really know you, I have thought that you were, in so many ways, the perfect man. You're handsome, so sweet, caring, and above all, you care about Rory." Luke instinctively nodded at that. "I do not particularly care to see you with other women. I do not know why, and frankly, I have put in lots of effort trying not to give it any thought." She looked down and smiled, more at herself. "But, I'll digress. It's not even about 'types' with you. No matter what kind of man a woman is into, I really can't see anyone not finding you enticing. Honestly. You're like…the whole package or something, but again, no thought time going on in here," she said circling her finger over her head. "I am hoping like hell that you'll forget all this by tomorrow by the way," she said quickly. "Because you are too great a friend to put in the middle of my awful relationship tendencies." She pointed to the phone. "See that, what just happened there? That's probably the end of that." She smiled. "It'll suck. I'll probably even cry because it's one more step in solidifying my growing old with cats scenario. But you know what? I'll get over it and move on." She paused. "If I were to go there with you, I know that when I managed to screw it up, there'd be a lot more tears, and the moving on would not come nearly as easily. So, how do I feel about you? Let's just say that I think very highly."

Luke broke in a wide grin.

"Did that answer your question?" She asked.

He stood up slowly, trying to keep his balance, and she went on alert in case he needed help. He held his hand out to her again. "Will you dance with me?" He asked.

"What is it with you and dancing tonight?" She chuckled. "Luke, you are drunk. I can't dance with you. It'll be weird, not to mention a little gross."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Come on. I won't do anything. I promise." He picked up her hand and started to pull gently for her to stand up. She stood up reluctantly.

"I know I'm going to regret this," she mumbled.

"No, you won't," Luke said as he pulled her close. She was directly in his face, and she stilled for a moment.

"Okay," she whispered. "Why don't we just back this up a little." She took a couple small steps backward. "Better," she said when their pelvises separated. She smiled even though the charge that was ignited at contact hardly felt humorous.

The music from the clock radio had changed to a slower ballad, but an instrumental still echoed around the apartment. Luke started to sway and began to move them steadily from side-to-side. His ability to remain steady surprised Lorelai since he proved his walking ability to be less than satisfactory.

"You move well," she said as she looked down to his feet.

"You should see me in the –"

"Do not even finish that, Mr. Bravado."

"Sorry," he said with a wide smile. They danced for a while longer in silence. Lorelai put much effort in avoiding his eyes—ones that he kept glued on her. He slowly started bringing her nearer and nearer to him. She went. One tiny step, then another, and another before…

"Okay, I think that's enough dancing," Lorelai said backing up. "Let's go ahead and snap a cork on this night and get you to sleep so you can hurry up and wake up and start being embarrassed." She smiled.

Luke still held onto her. "Can I have a kiss?" He asked.

Her reaction wasn't one of shock like Luke was expecting. "I'm going to have to say 'no'" She said calmly, not pulling completely from his light grasp. "But what you can have is a glass of water and some aspirin before you climb into bed."

"One kiss and I'll go to bed and leave you alone," he said with a smile.

"Luke, I can't - -" She looked at him as his suddenly very blue eyes looked back into hers. She rolled her eyes. "And then you'll go to bed?" She asked.

"And go to sleep for 2 days if you want."

She shook her head. "One kiss, Luke," she said firmly. He nodded. Her nerves started to vibrate wildly under her skin, and she knew instantly that she would regret her decision. She was not supposed to be kissing Luke. She knew that, and still she had agreed. Butterflies flitted up in her stomach as she realized what was about to take place.

She took a deep breath, looking at Luke's lips. He pulled her closer to him, and his eyes slowly closed. She watched his mouth drawing closer and closer to her own before her eyes slid shut. Upon contact, Lorelai's breathing stopped as she allowed the new sensation to shoot up and down her body. His lips were soft. Soft and warm, with no detectable taste of beer. His lips moved over hers a little. Her hands were positioned on his arms, and she knew that at any moment she would lose herself in this kiss. It was becoming a battle trying to keep her tongue at bay. She began to slide her hands up to bring them around his neck, but before she could, Luke pulled away. She opened her eyes quickly as if being jarred awake. She opened her mouth, taking heavy breaths as she looked to Luke. His eyes remained shut as he held onto to her. He slowly opened his eyes and focused on her.

"I'll leave you alone, now," he said softly. He stepped back. Lorelai had a moment of confusion as she had to fight for her brain to remember something other than Luke's lips on her own.

She finally remembered what she had said to him. "Oh, yeah," she said aloofly. "Good."

"And now, I will keep my end of the bargain," he said as he walked over and lowered himself on the mattress. "Goodnight," he mumbled, burying his face in the pillow.

Lorelai stared after him. "Yeah, goodnight," she said back.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Lorelai?" Luke asked sitting up. "Lorelai?" He said louder.

She sprung up quickly, looking around her. She looked over and saw Luke. "Oh, hi," she said sleepily. She reached up and rubbed her eyes. "I must have fallen asleep," she said.

He looked at her with wide eyes. "What, uh, what are you doing here?" He asked grabbing his head.

Lorelai brought her lips in and hung her head for a few seconds before looking back to him. "You don't know why I'm here?" He gave her a look like he was trying hard to remember. "Let me guess," she began. "You don't remember anything that happened last night."

"I know it involved alcohol," he said rubbing his temple. "Did I do something embarrassing?"

She shook her head sadly with a small smile. "No, you didn't do anything," she said softly.

"Good," he said. He lifted the covers and peaked underneath. "Clothing. Always a good sign," he said climbing out of bed. He stood up and grasped his head again. "Man, how much did I drink?"

Lorelai looked at him. "I don't know," she answered distractedly.

He walked over to where she sat on the couch, stopping at the end of it. "Did I call you?"

"Yeah," she said, trying to sound normal. "You were at a bar in Litchfield. I came and got you."

"So my truck—"

"Is still in Litchfield," she finished. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'll drive you to pick it up if you want."

"No," he answered, still holding his head, "I probably caused you enough trouble." He grabbed onto the back of the couch. "Thank you, Lorelai. I'm sorry if I ruined your evening. I see you're all dressed up." She looked down at herself.

"It was no big deal."

"I can't believe I let myself get that drunk. I haven't felt like this since I was young and stupid with no idea how to handle my alcohol."

She smiled. "Well, I guess I'm going to take off. Are you going to be okay?" She asked standing up and straightening her clothes.

"Yeah," he said softly. "I'll be fine. Thank you. I owe you one."

She rolled her eyes. "Please Luke, as many times as you've been my savior?" She waved away his comment. "Don't worry about it." She leaned down and retrieved her things. "I'll see you later on." she said.

"Can I get you some breakfast or something. It's the least I can do."

"No," she said quietly. "I have to get going." She walked toward the door. "Thanks, though," she said turning slightly. She opened the door and walked out.

Once outside, she closed the door and leaned against the wall. She took a few deep breaths, feeling an unflattering emotion building up in the pit of her stomach. "It never happened," she whispered to herself. She opened her eyes and pushed herself off of the wall, walking quickly down the staircase.

Inside of the apartment, Luke started to take off his clothes so that he could take a shower and get in the diner. He took off his flannel, and smelling a highly familiar fragrance, he looked around before bringing the shirt up to his nose. He sniffed it and recognized immediately that it belonged to Lorelai. He brought the shirt down and released a heavy sigh. He had been close enough to get her perfume on his flannel. He pictured himself leaning on her for support as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Of all the things not to have memory of," he muttered as he headed into the bathroom.

...TBC...????????

I don't know where to go from here. No ideas beyond this. I know it could _definitely_ go on. Should I continue this or just let it die? Ideas? I don't know. Let me know. Or don't . It's whatever. Well, either way, here's wishing a happy new year to everyone. Bring 2K7 in with a bang. Literally. Ha!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All characters and general situations belong to affiliates of the New CW**

**A/N:** Man, I really didn't expect people to latch onto this the way they did. That was flattering. Really flattering actually, considering it was written out of complete boredom. I thought of one line and from that, it was created. I'm sure many of you will be familiar with it :-) "Apparently drunk-Luke equals extremely uninhibited horny-Luke." Bam. 'Junkie Turned Angel' was born, and due to all the love, it won't have an early death. This is the second of _maybe_ four chapters. I hate to drag this thing out, and I promise I'm not doing it on purpose, but I really don't know where I want to go with this. It's so many different ways I can mess this up that it's not even funny. Anyway, here's what I have so far. Read pls.

**Junkie Turned Angel Part II**

Upon entering the crap shack Lorelai dropped all of her belongings to the floor. She dropped them there, and in a moment of vague cognizance, stared down at the objects as her mind drifted off. Flutters returned to her stomach, and she placed a hand over her abdomen in acknowledgement of the feeling.

The day was Saturday. Activities and duties filled the pages of her day planner, and yet, unable to gain control of the fluttering, her mind spun and wheeled around everything but.

Luke didn't remember. He didn't remember the events of the previous night, and even if his alcohol had allowed a small portal to memories, she would have been unable to process the possible ramifications of the choices she'd made. Having been sober, no blame could be placed on intoxication resulting in unintentional words and actions. Not for her. But, Luke _didn't _remember. Relief should have been washing over her, allowing her mind and body to enter a state of calm. Appreciation should have sprung up for the lack of change or discomfort that would follow. That was not, however, the feeling that was the cause of the fluttering.

Lorelai snapped back to the present when she heard a bumping sound in the kitchen. She kicked her items aside and went to see what the noise was. When she stuck her head around the corner, she saw Rory sitting at the kitchen table with a half-eaten pop tart in her hand.

"Thought you were a burglar," she said casually. She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda.

Rory looked up at her and noticing her empty hands, she replied, "And it's nice to see you came prepared."

"Well, how dangerous can a burglar in Stars Hollow be?" She sat down at the table across from Rory. "What are you doing here? Thought you went back to school."

Rory was a little taken back by her mom's monotone, almost depressed sounding tone. "Just following the love," she said holding up her hands in surrender. Lorelai took a gulp of her drink as she nodded in slight acknowledgement.

Rory perked up a little. "So, where have you been all night, Missy? With a frisky Luke, I suppose," she said with a wide grin.

She gave Rory a small smile. "I slept on his couch," she said presumptuously. "I just wanted to make sure he'd be okay for a while."

"Oh, that's good. So, he's okay now?"

"He'll be okay. He has a hangover, but he'll survive."

Rory smiled wide. "I wish I could have been there for the moment of recollection. I know he was embarrassed."

Lorelai brought both hands to her face as she slowly rubbed them across her eyes tiredly. She removed her hands. "No, Hon," she said exhaustedly, "He doesn't remember anything."

Rory picked up on her mom's tone once again. "And...that's a bad thing?" She asked her.

"No," Lorelai answered quickly. Speaking slower, she added, "It's a good thing. It's good that he doesn't remember." She smiled. "That level of embarrassment would probably cause internal combustion."

Rory's eyebrows rose. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's best he doesn't know." Usually Lorelai would bask in the aftershocks of her own funny. She would milk it for every drop of humor that such a comment could produce. The lack of that is what caused Rory to watch in wonder as she witnessed the smile slide off Lorelai's face. Her eyes fell to the wood of the table and stayed that way. Unblinking and serious were the same eyes that should have been squinted in mocking laughter.

A horrible notion snuck into Rory's brain. Despite her better judgment, she still wondered. She knew that it was ridiculous, but given Lorelai's strange behavior, she had no choice but explore that possibility. "Mom," she began shakily, "uh, did Luke, uh-- Luke didn't..." Rory's eyes were wide and her head moved from side to side as if her heart was answering her question for her.

Lorelai looked at her calmly waiting for her to finish. She didn't exactly know what she was getting at. Suddenly, the scared look in Rory's eyes registered in her brain. "Rory, no!" She exclaimed suddenly. "No!" she said firmly. "Luke would never EVER--Rory, please do not even think that!"

"I'm sorry. I just--I mean you were acting weird and I just had to ask." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said again. "Of course Luke wouldn't..."

"No, he wouldn't." Lorelai released a sigh as she looked down to her hands. "Look at me. I'm shaking." She chuckled lightly. "Just the thought of that is... so inconceivable." Looking back to Rory, her expression became solemn. "I'm sorry I even caused your mind to go there." Rory nodded understandably. "But, just so we're clear--"

"He didn't violate you," she finished with relief.

Lorelai finished her thought anyway. "The word Luke and violate or any other synonymous term is the biggest, stupidest oxymoron on this continent." Rory nodded with a smile. "In the ecosystem," Lorelai added. She nodded again. "In the solar system."

"Okay, Mom," Rory said, feeling embarrassment trickle thoroughly down to her toes. "So, why the mood?" She asked.

"Man," Lorelai breathed out. She smiled, getting her thoughts back after a drain of emotion at having to protect Luke's character. She looked to Rory for a few seconds. _Why am I in a mood?_ she thought. It took her a few moments to come up with an acceptable answer to that question. _Oh yeah_, "Jason," she said simply. "I have to do some damage control with Jason."

"Ohhhh," Rory said slowly, the pieces falling into place. "It probably looks pretty bad to him, huh?"

"_Gigli_ bad."

"Jeez," Rory said sympathetically. She shook her head and stood up. "Well, whatever you do, do it in the black dress." She smiled. "Not sure if it'd help the movie, but it'll be pretty effective on him," she said with a wink.

"You are so my daughter," Lorelai said with an amused smile.

"And damn proud of it!" She kissed her cheek. "I'm going to run to the bookstore. Need anything?" She asked grabbing a jacket.

"Not from the bookstore," she said gloomily. "But if you have time, swing by Sookie's and see if you can pick Mommy up a sedative, 'kay?"

Rory laughed. "I'll see what I can do," she said.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Jason, you have to listen to me…" Lorelai said calmly to him.

"I'm _listening_," he said almost with offense.

"You're hearing the words, but you aren't listening."

"Okay, sorry, the paralleled ear involvement confused me for a second. I'm caught up now." He sat down on his couch and nodded his head at her for her to continue.

She began again. "I didn't plan to stay the night, but Luke was…really gone…and I just wanted to make sure that he would be okay. That's all. He fell asleep in his bed, and I fell asleep on the couch. Unintentionally by the way," she added.

He shook his head with smile. "You know, I don't know why I got paranoid. It's not a huge deal," he said with confidence. "I'm not jealous of the _coffee man_ or anything. I'm just wondering if he had planned the whole thing."

"What?" Lorelai asked, gaining annoyance.

"You know. Get drunk, call beautiful friend who'd pretty much give her left leg for any friend in need, and get her to spend the night."

Lorelai gave him an incredulous look. "Please tell me you are joking."

He laughed. "I can't really blame the guy," he continued. "He gave it the old college try," he said as he dipped his fist down, then up.

She looked at him before shaking her head. "I'm getting a headache," she said as she turned and walked over and sat down in his recliner.

He got up and walked over to her, claiming a seat on the arm of the chair. He placed an arm around her shoulders as he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I really like you," he said. "And not to turn this into a Dawson's Creek moment here, but I'm happy that we're here," he said motioning between the two of them.

Lorelai smiled at his words. "I know, Jason. That's why I have a key in my purse."

"That is the reason," he said as he got comfortable on the sofa arm.

"To your apartment," she continued.

"To my apartment," he repeated robotically.

"Where I can come anytime I want whether I'm letting someone in or not." She stared straight ahead as she spoke.

"No matter the time," he said, not missing a beat.

"Because we're together…"

"Siameselessly."

She continued. "Together and moving forward."

"Are you re-capping?"

"Because that's what you do in relationships. You get together and move forward."

"Next week on Blossom…"

"I kissed Luke."

Jason stilled for a moment before leaning up and sliding his hand from around her shoulder. "Well, I definitely won't be tivoing that episode," he said looking at her. "This is probably a stupid comment, but um, I don't think you're supposed to be kissing another man."

She looked back to him. "I know," she said softly. "I kind of thought you should--I don't know--that you should know or something. It was stupid and…meaning, um, less and…it was stupid."

He stood up. "Well, I guess this puts the whole Crystal thing in perspective."

"That was in perspective a long time ago," Lorelai said for a lack of anything better.

He shrugged. "So, what does this mean- you kissing him? I mean, do you not want to use the key? Because just handing it back over would have been effective too."

"Jason—"

"And didn't you say that he was drunk off his ass?" He interrupted. "I mean if that's a turn on for you, I have my buddy Mr. Daniels in the kitchen and we can kick this relationship into gear."

"Oh, my head!" Lorelai said with frustration.

"Oh my god!" He said instantly. "That's why you're here, isn't it? You came to break up with me. I'm getting dumped in favor of the coffee man."

"Jason, you are not ge—"

"You know that commercial- that stupid commercial," he burst out in song, _'the best part of waking up...' _He looked at her wide eyed. "I always hated that commercial for some reason. I didn't know why, but I always felt this unnatural, sort of...strange hatred for that particular product. And now I see why. That stupid caffeine bean produced a man who drunkenly kissed my girlfriend."

Lorelai was actually on the verge of laughter, and she knew that would be beyond inappropriate. She brought her lips in and looked down to the floor.

Jason continued. "And it was like my inner self was predicting that this very day would come. It was warning me to start creating a defense, and what did I do? I just changed the channel."

He finally paused long enough for Lorelai to get a word in. "I think you might be blowing this a little out of proportion," she said.

"Says the kisser." He dropped his eyes then lifted them to look at her quickly. "Wait. Unless, you were the kiss_ee_, in which case this is all moot. Were you the kissee?" He paused a few seconds. "What am I saying? You said you kissed Duke. Of course that'd make you the kisser _and_ kissee." He walked closer to her since he'd been pacing the floor distantly. "But how much kissee-ing did you do?" He asked worriedly.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she tried her best to remain serious. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "It was nothing, Jason. I just thought I should let you know." She rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself for even bringing it up. "It was more like an inspiration peck."

"That makes me feel _muuuch_ better." He sat down on the couch as he played with his hands. "So, what does this mean for us?"

"I don't know," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Whatever you want it to mean."

"Do you want to be with Duke?"

"Luke," she corrected softly.

"What?"

"You keep saying Duke, and his name is Luke. You doing the whole 'make him seem as insignificant as possible' thing is a little annoying."

"Okay, _Luke_. Do you want to be with Luke?"

She dropped her gaze. "No, I don't want to be with Luke," she whispered inaudibly.

He didn't hear her words. "Are you praying?" He asked leaning toward her. "Because I'd like to get in on that too. The Almighty would probably side with me on this one. Although some of my other life choices may sway judgment a bit."

"Jason, can we please be serious here?" She asked looking up at him.

"I am being very serious. As serious as can be expected when your supposed-to-be-exclusive-girlfriend just told you she stuck her tongue down somebody else's throat."

"I didn't say that," she remarked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We _didn't_ get to the details of the kiss." He stood up slightly. "Should I go get the nail polish or will girly giggles be sufficient enough?"

"Is this you being serious?" Lorelai asked him bluntly.

He sat back down. "Yes!" He answered. "I am being serious, and I seriously want to know why you don't seem to be concerned about my feelings."

"What? I am very concerned about your feelings. That's why I told you in the first place."

"You have been holding laughter every since it came out of your mouth. Don't think I didn't see that. I was half expecting you to do a little knee-slapping move. I would have enjoyed that by the way; always good to know people are getting their money's worth" he added with a sideways look.

"See," she said pointing at him. "Look at you. You don't seem to be too hurt, Jason. It's like freaking Laugh Factory in here."

He looked at her with what looked to Lorelai like _mock_ offense. "Well, I think I should be a little insulted. I am hurt. Do I not have feelings?" He paused as if expecting a real answer. "When you cut me, do I not say _'ow, what the hell did you do that for?'_?"

Lorelai shook her head as a chuckle made its way out of her. "I can see you're really hurt," she said sarcastically.

"How can I _not_ be hurt? I just gave you a key. Do you know what I had to go through to get that key, Lorelai?"

"A door?"

"Well…yeah…and then I had to stand in line behind two very sweaty people. Now I'm not saying that getting a key made calls for Sunday's best, but you'd think it'd at least be deserving of a shower. And let's not forget the wait, okay? Ten minutes of my life was spent having to wait for your key…a key that I thought meant progression in this relationship."

"Jason, please stop."

"All I want to know," he continued, "Is what you want to come of this?"

"I don't know!" She said, trying not to raise her voice. "I told you the ball is in your court. You're the one that could potentially get hurt in all of this."

He reared back. "And you wouldn't?" She opened her mouth but did not answer. "So if you stayed, you'd be staying to spare my feelings?"

"I did not say that," she said.

"Well, I guess that settles it then." He leaned back on the sofa. Lorelai wanted to correct him. Her instinctive desire to smooth over any situation and make sure she was not causing any hurt was begging to be released. She wanted to deny what he was implying, but she simply could not. For some reason, she felt the need to let this play itself out.

"I'm sorry, Jason."

"So, it really_ is_ settled?" He asked her. "This is it?"

Lorelai looked down to her hands. "I like you. I really do...but maybe this...was a sign."

"What was?"

"The whole thing, including the reaction part. I mean, no tears, no yelling. Nothing."

"Wait, now. My reaction is respectable, I think," he said pointing to himself. "I _do_ care, Lorelai. I hope you don't think that I don't care about you because I really do." Lorelai nodded. "I mean, did you not see the key?" He added.

Lorelai looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Yes, Jason. But I--" She stopped resignedly, taking a deep breath as she did so. "Guess you'll be wanting that back?" She shrugged like that was her last option. He looked at her seriously for several moments before starting to capitulate. Flashes of being a deranged stalker pushed him to truly concede.

"No," he began sarcastically, "You keep it. You don't want me, but _please_," he punctuated, "_please_ keep my apartment key. That wouldn't be the least bit inappropriate." His animated hand movements caused a bigger smile to form on Lorelai's lips. At that moment, she had a mild regret that all friendship with Jason may end as well. But she knew that she was doing the right thing. She reached inside her purse and pulled it out, rubbing her fingers over the metal. She stood up and walked over to him.

"Here you go," she said reaching it to him.

"Thanks." He slid it out of her fingers and looked down, releasing a sigh. "So, how do we do this? Do we start filing for restraining orders or do we end this amicably with some really great break-up sex?"

Lorelai smiled and looked up as if in thought. "How about a hug?" She suggested looking back down to him.

He looked at her for a second before standing up. "I'll take it," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her arms went around his neck and they stood that way for several seconds. "You sure about that break-up sex thing? I hear it's the best kind."

She laughed and pulled away from him. "I'm gonna miss you, Jason," she said genuinely.

"Well, of course you will. Consider it punishment," he said wide-eyed. Lorelai rolled her eyes before leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see you around?" She asked him tentatively.

"Yeah. Your father's my business partner so it's inevitable." She nodded in agreement before breaking away from him. She reached down and grabbed her purse, throwing a quick wave to him as she headed for the door.

"Wonder what Crystal's doing tonight," he mumbled audibly while walking behind her toward the door.

"Man, can I get out of the door first?" Lorelai laughed. "If I were you, while _wonderin_g, I'd rule out the library or any other literary oasis."

He smiled. "Already ahead of you." He opened the door for her. "Take care of yourself," he said.

"You too," she responded and as she turned and walked away.

Once he closed the door, she stopped in the middle of the hallway and shifted her eyes around the small space. She didn't intend on being single when she left Jason's apartment, and she had to take a moment and replay the previous events. Why had she let him go so easily? Why did she not try to hang onto the only thing she had in her life resembling a romantic future? These questions, among others, passed through her head as she stood in the hallway.

Suddenly realizing that she was still standing in place, she moved toward the exit and down to her car.

It was 9 o'clock at night, and what she wanted the most in the world was a cup of Luke's coffee. Still, she sat in her jeep in front of Jason's apartment building debating whether or not to go get it. Every time she thought of the look on Luke's face when he woke up, she felt her stomach start to turn. And that, more than anything was causing her agitation. Why in the hell was she feeling this way? She kept having to almost _remind _herself that it was good that he didn't remember.

She had revealed to him things that she had not revealed to herself. Things she did not care to hear repeated back to her. She'd spent the entire day recalling bits and pieces of what had come spilling out of her mouth, and she was having trouble realizing why, even with that information, her main focus was how upsetting it was that he remembered none of it. That he remembered nothing. He had kissed her. He had given her a drunken kiss that, for some reason, was the cause of extreme nonchalance toward all things Jason. And he _did not_ remember.

She cranked up her car and pulled away from the curb. For a brief moment, she envied Luke. She wished that she could be in the same boat that he was in. Ss no memory. Then, there would be no obsession, no storing of information that could potentially haunt all future interactions with him.

She continued to drive, no thought about where she was headed. She wished that she could go back in time and undo the whole evening. Undo every smile and every tingle at his gentle touches. Undo the intense feel of having all of his attention. Even with all of the luscious dumb-asses drooling over him, Luke had only wanted to be near her.

"Never happened," she said softly to herself. A line that kept resonating inside of her head before deteriorating into balderdash. No matter how many times she repeated it, the feeling was there. A feeling that let her know that no matter what she chose to tell herself, _it happened_.

Internal conflict resumed. Conflicting emotions about whether or not she'd made the right decision in letting Jason go, and whether or not she could truly deal with growing thoughts and considerations of Luke. That was the biggest battle. Once so easily ignorable, the thoughts were starting to grow in confidence and..._intensity_.

By the time the battles died down, Lorelai found herself parked on the side of the street. In front of _Luke's_. The fluttering returned, but she pushed it aside as she stepped out of the car.

She told herself that coffee was the main objective, and she would focus on and worry of nothing else. Each heavy step she took on her way inside led her to believe that maybe she could do without the swaying remarks. They were annoyingly ineffective.

Still, grabbing the door knob to the diner, she took a deep breath and whispered, "Never happened," before entering. This time, out of respect for her growing gloominess, it at least waited a full ten seconds before laughing itself into oblivion.

**Definitely TBC...**

I'm sorry this didn't have L/L interaction. The next one definitely will, but I had to get the Jason thing worked out first. Not to go against the majority, but I am one of the few who actually liked the guy. He was really cool and funny, and I didn't want him to get hurt too badly (shout out to **rollsdownhill!!!!**) Now, to figure out what's next... I'm considering the memory return thing b/c it _can_ really happen. TRUST me. Thanks for all suggestions. Hopefully, I'll settle on something soon. Encouragement? Discouragement? General thoughts? Let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: What's going on everyone? Everything's good I hope. Another chapter is finished, so read and, well, review, I guess :-)

**Junkie Turned Angel Part III**

"Hey Luke," Lorelai said as she entered the diner. He was facing the coffee machine as he worked to fill another pot. He turned quickly at her greeting.

"Lorelai," he said with relief, tossing his hands up. He walked closer to the counter. A brief smile came over his face. "I'm glad you're here," he said. He looked at her as she walked over toward the stools. Lorelai noticed that he didn't really look like someone recovering from a night of drinking. He looked well-rested, and his eyes actually shined as he looked to her. No dark circles or anything. That surprised her because she realized she'd never seen his eyes sparkle that way. She took a seat in front of where he stood. He released a sigh. "It's been crazy in here today. I've been meaning to call you."

"What's wrong?" She asked him worriedly, not taking her attention from his eyes. The first thing that came into her mind was that he had begun to remember. She held her breath.

"Nothing. I kind of forgot to ask you, um, exactly where my truck is." He laughed, embarrassed.

"Oh," She smiled and dropped her gaze. "Of course. Sorry."

"No," he said instantly. "For what? You were...great. It's..." He laughed before dropping his chin to his chest. "Man, I feel stupid."

"You don't have to feel stupid, Luke. I mean, there's no reason to." Luke looked up and their eyes met. "Everyone gets drunk and has those _lost_ nights."

"I don't," he said almost in a whisper. He gave his words time to settle. "And then I called you and drug you into it." He shook his head. "No matter what you say, I owe you one," he said seriously.

She shrugged. "Lifetime supply of free coffee?" She suggested.

"Not unless I want to go out of business," he said flatly.

"Okay then, deal's off," she said with a smile.

"Lorelai."

"Luke," she said copying him. He squinted his eyes at her, causing her to chuckle. "Luke, it's fine. Really. You don't owe me anything." He still looked insistent. "Need I remind you that you just wrote me a check for thirty thousand dollars?" He gave her a look like _'so what?'_. "And that's just the most recent selfless act. You owe me nothing," she stated firmly.

"I'll think of something," he said, ignoring her. Lorelai rolled her eyes up and quickly returned them to his. "But, in the mean time..." He said, looking at Lorelai knowingly.

"What?" She asked after a while.

"My truck," he reminded.

"Oh," she said remembering, "I'll take you to get it after you close."

"Lorelai, no," he said instantly. "I'll...take a cab or something."

She laughed at his ridiculous alternative. "I'm taking you," she said.

"I said 'no'. You've done enough."

"Okay, fine," she said a little too easily.

He turned around and grabbed the coffee pot. "So, what bar is it at?" He asked. He poured her a mug of coffee.

"You know, I really can't remember," she said.

"Lorelai, please. I don't have time for this."

"I only remember the location," she offered.

"Then, where is it located?" He asked placing his hands in his pockets.

She closed her eyes. "I remember a rock- a huge rock. Ooh, and a tree. Definitely remember a tree. And there was alcohol in the bar. Almost positive about that," she finished satisfied.

He looked at her silently. "Is that all?" He asked.

"Ooh, and people. Specifically, men _and _women," she added.

He sighed heavily. "Ten forty-five okay with you?" he asked annoyed.

"Ten forty-five is perfect."

--------------------

"You know, you really don't have to just sit there. I just closed and it'll probably be a while," Luke said as he flipped the blinds.

"Ten forty-five. I know, you told me." Lorelai swiveled on her seat as she followed him around the diner.

"And you want to sit and wait?"

"Unless you want me to leave," she answered.

"No, you're fine." He paused before turning and looking at her. "As long as you DO NOT, number one, start to serenade any moment that you feel is deserving, number two, start pretending the floor is lava while climbing over all of the things people eat on, and number three, start playing fake restaurant using my very real and very expensive food items."

"Well, there goes my night," she said smiling.

He looked at her doubtfully. "Deal?"

She nodded. "I agree to your terms, Mr. Danes."

"Good," he said, keeping his eyes on her for any signs of a rebuttal. She just smiled wider under his gaze, and he turned away, shaking his head at her enjoyment. He began to flip chairs onto the tables, and Lorelai continued to watch him. Her mind drifted back to the night before.

She recalled him holding onto her waist with a firm gentleness as she walked him up the stairs to his apartment. She knew that she would never feel that again. Not from him. And, she wasn't supposed to, so it _should've _been fine._ Luke _was back, and gone was the Luke that told her she was pretty and touched her in subtle ways that ignited dangerous sparks inside of her. But that is what she wanted. She had wanted him to forget. Yet, she'd started to consciously replay Luke's soft kiss as she looked at him. It kept playing, rewinding and playing again, until finally the rewind part just shut off, and an extended version played. It deepened, the kiss. And she saw herself melting completely into him. Completely. He began running his hands up and down her body as she pressed every part of her skin as close to him as she could get.

"Okay," she heard Luke say. She looked at him wide-eyed like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. He was standing with his arms crossed. "You have been quiet for going on seven minutes, and you keep looking at me weird." She opened her mouth to speak. "I want to know." He said firmly.

"You want to know what?" She asked looking at him sideways.

"I have to know what I did last night. I wanted to avoid this conversation, but apparently I did something, and I want to know what it is."

She breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there, she thought that he had been able to see into her thoughts. "We already had this conversation. I told you you did nothing embarrassing."

"Okay then. What _un-embarrassing_ things did I do?" He asked walking closer to her.

She gave him an offended look as if he just accused her of something. "What makes you think you did anything? You called, I picked you up, swung by Doose's--did you see the pancakes I got you," she said getting off subject.

"Yeah, thanks," he said quickly. "And what else?" He asked.

"Well, I got some aspirin and some--"

"No, what else _happened_?" He asked, clarifying.

She sighed. "We went back to your apartment...talked a little, and...you fell asleep."

"We talked?" Lorelai nodded. "So, you know what happened yesterday?"

She looked down. "Yes, and I am so sorry, Luke. I hate that Nicole did that to you."

He walked even closer. "That's just it," he began, speaking as if someone else was in listening range. "Last night I remember going to get a beer. I remember talking to a guy named...Bill or Billy--"

"Pete."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind," Lorelai said. "Continue."

"My point is, I remember feeling horrible. I mean, I wanted to kill this guy- the sock owner. I did. Then, everything got fuzzy. Next thing I know, I wake up with a pounding headache, you're there, and now I feel fine."

Lorelai looked at him like she was expecting him to say something else. "So, what's the problem?"

"I _feel fine_," he repeated slower. "I've barely thought about Nicole today. Hell, the divorce papers are traveling through the mail system as we speak, and outside of a little pain in my head, I...hell, I almost feel...good." He frowned as he said the word.

"That's great, Luke," Lorelai said. "That's fantastic, actually. So, why's that a problem?"

"You should not feel like this after finding out your wife cheated on you," he said quickly. "This is not normal."

"Luke, this is a good thing- you feeling this way. I'm glad you are. I'm glad you're not hurt by her."

"Lorelai, I don't think you understand."

"I understand perfectly. Nicole messed up, lost a good thing, and now she can go and try to screw up somebody else's life."

"Lorelai," he said with exhaustion.

"What?" She asked.

"Can you please just hear me for a second because I really don't want to say it?"

Lorelai shook her head. "You want me to hear what you're not saying?" She asked confusedly.

"Yes," he said, eager that she was catching on.

"I'm lost," she said.

He exhaled loudly and turned around. He took a few steps before turning back to face her. He looked down to the floor, making sure to not look anywhere near her face. "I need to know if we did anything."

Lorelai could have sworn that her heart had stopped for a brief second. "W-What?" She asked.

He found the courage to look in her eyes. "Anything. Anything...sexual." His face turned red within seconds, but he held her gaze.

Her mouth dropped open, and she tried to find a connection between her brain and her mouth. "What? Luke, w-w-why would you ask that?"

"I'm sorry," he said, "but that's the only thing that I can think of that explains how I'm feeling."

Her nervousness and inability to speak went away at his words, and she saw an opening. She had to know if what she thought was true was actually true. "What if I told you that you did something with somebody else, say a 25 year old Angelina Jolie look-alike?" She looked at him, awaiting his reply.

"First of all, I'd say that wouldn't happen because one, she's _Rory's age_, and two, who the hell is Angelina Jolie?"

"That's not the point," she said, getting annoyed at the fact that a tangent was almost getting ridden. "Would you believe that was the cause of your good mood?"

"No," he said seriously. He re-folded his arms.

"Why?"

"Because I wouldn't do that, drunk or not."

"How do you know?" She asked testingly.

He was annoyed at this point. "What do you mean how do I know? Because I don't know her and I don't care about her and I wouldn't just have sex with a twenty year old Angie or a Joline."

Lorelai's breath caught, and she took a moment before speaking. She considered his words. "But you would have had sex with me?" She asked quietly. He didn't say anything. "You think we had sex, Luke?"

Though it seemed as if his skin could not get any more red, it went against all odds in doing so. He brought his voice back down. "That's what I want to know," he said softly.

She looked down to her hands. "How would you react if something did happen?" She couldn't bring herself to admit the answer that she was hoping would come out of his mouth.

"I don't--Why--." He released a sigh. "Is this your way of saying that something happened?" He looked down to the floor awaiting her answer.

Lorelai looked up at him. His jaw was tightened and he looked like he was waiting to hear the worst. She ran her hand over her hair. "Luke, even if you were drunk, I wasn't, so you have nothing to worry about," she told him.

"Really?" He asked hopefully as he looked up. "Because this is getting a little weird."

Her stomach twisted at his reaction. "Yes, really," she answered. "Remember this morning?" She acted like she was lifting a blanket off of herself. "Ooh, clothes," she mocked quickly. "What, do you think we had sex, then I dressed you?"

"Can you stop saying that, please?"

"What, 'sex'?" She shrugged. "Sure, I can substitute. No, Luke, we didn't fu--"

"Lorelai," he interrupted calmly. He could sense that she was perturbed at something. Her crassness was only a small clue. He assumed she was upset because she was insulted at being 'accused'. "I didn't mean anything by what I asked, okay? I know you, and I didn't mean to insinuate _anything_. Honestly. It's just so frustrating not being able to remember anything."

Lorelai looked at him and softened. One thing she could not do was start to blame him for her own internal battle. She couldn't get mad with him for not reacting how she wanted him to react. "I know, Luke," she said. "I know it sucks." He smiled and nodded. "But do you trust me?" She asked, more as a lead-in to her next statement.

He nodded quickly. "That's why I called you." She smiled. "And why I'll probably continue to call you." He shrugged apologetically.

"I thought it was the other way around," she said softly, a tingle forming in her stomach at the smile he offered her. "Well, if you trust me," she began, "then believe me when I tell you that you have no reason to feel bad about your morning-after mood. Enjoy it. Go to Litchfield and rub it in her face," she suggested. Luke laughed. "I'll go with you."

He looked at her. "You would, wouldn't you?"

"Tell me the time, place, and dress, and I'm there."

He breathed deep, thanking her with his eyes. "Okay, then," he said nodding. "I'll enjoy it." He winked at her and walked around the counter. Lorelai closed her eyes instantly at his wink. She didn't need any additional acts from him that would make it harder to put everything behind her. Everything he did- things she used to find attractive, but able to overlook- was now making her confused _and_ _then_ upset because she was confused.

The denial thing was officially out. She knew she needed a new plan.

-------------------------

Luke sat on the passenger side of her jeep with his seatbelt on as he looked calmly out the window. Lorelai found herself stealing several glances over at him. He wasn't lying beside her with his fingers combing softly through her hair. He wasn't touching her and giving her lustful stares. He wasn't paying her much attention at all as they drove along in silence.

She gritted her teeth. She hated feeling the way she was feeling. She almost felt like she was being cheated, like sober-Luke was only showing her the parts of himself he thought she could handle. She wondered what he was thinking as he sat all the way over on his side. Maybe if she knew how he truly felt about her, she could come to a firm conclusion or realization of the new feelings that coursed through her. Or at least be able to acknowledge them for what they really were. Either way, she knew it could only help to know where he stood.

"Luke," she called.

He turned toward her like he had forgotten she was even in the car. "Yeah," he answered.

"You okay? You're a little quiet." She said.

"I'm fine. Just thinking," he answered. He turned his attention toward the road ahead, and Lorelai released a sigh. He barely looked at her. How was it that she was missing and almost _craving_ attention that she'd only been given one night out of eight _years_ of knowing him? She sensed that she was being irrational, but it still didn't stop the aching. He had been drunk and out of character. He wasn't Luke, she told herself. But the ache remained because therein lay the problem. It _was_ Luke. It was the same sweet, caring Luke that she had grown accustomed to, but it was the added factor that was the issue. He had been open and affectionate, and he _wanted _her. Really wanted her. And, that, combined with everyday-Luke was like a cohabitation that, in one day, had started to thrive inside of her. It just fit.

"Luke, can I ask your opinion?" Lorelai asked him, breaking the quiet.

"My opinion?" He asked confusedly. She nodded, while looking at the road. "Sure," he answered.

"Um, I just bought this, uh, skirt." She had on a dark colored skirt that was a little more sophisticated than the one she had had on the night before, but the sexy factor was still present. That's why she'd gotten it. She continued. "And, it, uh, never hurts to have a guy's opinion, so what do you...what do you think?" She asked nervously.

"You're asking my opinion about your clothes?" He asked. She nodded again. "You want _my _opinion on _your _clothes?" He asked slower.

"I just want to know what you think. How do...I look to you? In this, I mean?" She added quickly.

He shrugged and looked down at her skirt and blouse quickly, returning his gaze to her face. "You look fine," he said shrugging with indifference.

She kept her eyes on the road. A sadness swept over her, and for a second, she almost felt like she could cry. "Thank you," she said quietly. She couldn't even bring herself to comment on what was wrong with his reply.

Luke turned back to his side window briefly before sneaking a second look at her. He looked down to her skirt. It was a new skirt, he noticed. She had one in burgandy and black, but they had a short length with a slightly higher cut at the thigh. This color was a darker blue. It was a color that pailed fiercely in comparison to her eyes, he noted. He looked up at her blouse that had intricate cuts at the sleeves and had a retro look to it. Allowing his gaze to move up to her hair, his eyes moved over the many curls that held tight, even after a long day at the Inn. He knew that she would probably choose to wear it straight tomorrow. No matter her choice, she'd still look radiant.

He dropped his gaze down to his lap before looking back to her for a few seconds. "You look beautiful," he said softly. Lorelai turned quickly and caught his eye as a shy smile formed on his lips. He turned back toward his window.

"Thank you," she said, still looking at him. Even though he wasn't turned toward her, she still looked at him. For a second, she wondered if she had imagined what he had said.

"You're welcome," he finally said.

She broke out in a wide smile as she turned back toward the road. At that moment, she considered the possibility of putting on that very outfit day in, day out for the next month. Her dry-cleaning bill would be astronomical, but in that second, that was a small price to pay. Sure people would stare and offer her spare change, but again, it would be so very worth it. She would have Luke looking at her, thinking she was beautiful. It wasn't him running a gentle finger along her thigh, but it was something.

_'To hell with a plan'_, she thought. _'I'll just go with it'_.

...TBC...

**Good? I don't know, but I'm getting into it. I have a few ideas for where the story's going. But, here's where I need some help in the long run. I'm trying to decide if I should keep it along the lines it's going (sort of PG). So, I'll let you guys decide. Do you think I should:**

A.)Bring it down a little. _A kiss? On the mouth? Alcohol? Let's all pray.  
_B.)Keep it for the kiddies. _We don't need the nasty stuff to get a fulfilling Luke/Lorelai tale  
_C.)Kick it up a notch. _What's a little heavy petting every now and again?  
_D.)Go all out. _Luke naked now. Sweating, biting, moaning...let's do this!  
_

Let's see if there's a consensus.   
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the awesomest group of people ever. You make me so happy that I'm not going to even focus on my little non-word back there. ;-) It's all love.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Probably a few errors in time or whatever in here, but I didn't have time to go back and read what I already had, so whatever. I don't think it's too bad. I think I just completely dismissed the whole Rory and Dean situation b/c I just have her all conveniently available for my story here. But, that wasn't a very popular relationship anyway, so again, whatever. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. You all are so great.

**Junkie Turned Angel Part IV**

"Have you always worn flannel to work?" Lorelai was leaning on her open palm as her elbow rested on the counter. She looked at Luke.

He dropped his rag to the counter and gave her an exhausted look. "What?" he asked.

Lorelai sat up straight. "I've always seen you wear flannel to work." She looked upward in thought. "Well, actually, you wear it all the time, but seeing as how you work all the time, it could be said that you—"

"Do you have a point?" He interrupted, pronouncing each word fully.

"Always," she said quickly.

"Well, then reach it," he replied on the tail-end of her response.

Lorelai looked at him, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out and cross her arms in defiance, but she realized that would please him more than anything. "You know, Luke," she began, "sometimes it's nice to take the scenic route." She swept her hand. "You know, experience things."

"Yes," he said leaning in. "And sometimes it's nice to hop on a plane and get where you have to go." He copied her hand movement. "You know, _get places_." She narrowed her eyes, a playful anger burning behind them.

"Let's just hope that you don't carry that attitude over in _other places_," she commented.

"Aw, jeez," he muttered looking around. He picked his rag back up and started to busy himself.

Feeling like she had the upper hand once again, she continued. "Anyway, I was just wondering if, before you opened this place, you were sitting around thinking 'what style of dress would say _burgers and fries_?' "

"Lorelai—"

"And then it hit you. Burgers," she moved her hands in a representation of a continuum, "Picnic. Picnic table. Tablecloth. Flannel," she ended.

"Lorelai—" he said deeper.

"Because it's ingenious…actually. You know, because if it were me, I may have thought…I don't know, 'khakis'? Maybe a polo collared-type-of-situation," she said fingering her own collar, "…with _Luke's_ written under the little horsey—"

"Lorelai!" He said loudly. A few of the customers looked up at him. Luke looked from person to person. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize we had a diner full of Lorelais in here," he said smartly. They all turned their attention elsewhere. "Stupid nosy town," he mumbled bringing his attention back to Lorelai. She had a small smile on her face as she waited for him to speak. "What is _with_ you?" he asked.

"What?" she asked innocently as she fingered her coffee mug.

"Don't you have a job to get to?" He inquired pointedly.

"Why?" She asked, looking hurt.

"Not that I don't enjoy listening to your questions and your suggestions—"

"You're welcome," she said assuredly.

"But two _seconds_ of silence might be nice too."

"Hey, I've given you at least—"

"You have commented on…" He started counting on his fingers. "…my walls, my signs, my tables, my chairs—"

"I think Martha Stewart would agree—"

"And now you're starting on me!" Lorelai started to say something else, but Luke held up a finger as a stop sign. "I mean, you've been sitting there following my every move, so I should've known it was coming. But I didn't. Stupid me because it is _you_, after all. But if you have such a problem with…the décor," he said smartly, "…or my clothes…or anything, please remember, I am not holding you hostage here." He looked away from her. "And what the hell is everybody looking at?!" He yelled to the customers. Everyone went back to eating, startled by his outburst.

His words hung in the air as he stood recovering from his huff. Lorelai looked at him, completely unaffected. "Lucky for you," she began calmly, "I don't get offended easily. Otherwise, I may have gotten up and walked out of here just now."

"Damn," Luke replied blandly.

"But, I'd never do that to you," she finished with a smile. She took a deep breath. "To answer your question, no, I do not have to be at the Inn today. I get to bug you all day long."

"Oh, joy," he deadpanned. He knew that she would aggravate him to no end, and the thought of that gave him an instant headache. He also knew that her presence was never unwelcome, and it was a headache that he would gladly endure.

He went and tended to a few customers before coming back around the counter. As soon as he came around the corner, Lorelai's focus was on him once again. He caught her gaze and released a sigh. "Don't you have a boyfriend that would probably appreciate all this free time you suddenly have?" She found herself staring at his lips as he spoke. "You know, a boyfriend that wears nice _flannel-less_ clothing?" He said in mock tone.

Her eyes fell to his chest. "I didn't say that something was wrong with your flannel," she responded.

"Yeah," he said doubtfully.

"I didn't," she defended. "It looks good. It's you," she said casually.

"Glad you approve," he said as he scribbled on his pad.

She watched him. Still. "It looks soft. Is it soft against your skin?" she asked.

He looked at her in a questioning manner. "Sure," he answered with little enthusiasm. He looked down at the sleeve of the flannel before setting down his pen and pad. He ran a hand quickly over the material. "I guess so," he added in a more conciliatory tone. He shrugged. "You wanna…?" He held his arm out to her.

Lorelai was holding her coffee mug, and she almost spilled it she set it down so quickly. Then, she stilled, having felt unflatteringly impetuous. "Sure," she replied indifferently. "I mean, if you don't mind," she added.

"Feel the damn flannel," Luke said with feigned annoyance. A small smile played at his lips. He gave little attention to her mug slip, assuming it was her clumsiness shining through.

Lorelai reached both her hands out and wrapped them loosely around his forearm. She didn't need to feel it. Hell, a little under a week ago, her hands had been subtly running over it as they danced. She knew exactly how it felt, which is why her question inquired about the feel of it against his skin. But he had given her an opportunity, and she hadn't even considered passing it over.

Her hands moved up his arm and then back down as her eyes followed her movement. Two seconds passed. Then four. Then five. In retrospect, the timing wasn't even deserving of a countdown, but in present, arm-rubbing time, it was enough to make the smile slide off of Luke's face and enough to make Lorelai forget that she was supposed to feeling the cotton. And nothing else.

Her eyes traveled up to his face as she slid her hands down to and then past his wrist. Her fingers ran over the skin of his hand before she dropped them to her lap. He continued to look at his arm, even after she had removed her hands. Finally, he lifted his eyes to hers, and only then did she speak.

"Soft," she said quietly.

Luke blinked hard, and his lips parted. Suddenly, he was back in Lorelai's jeep, and he was watching his hand come out and run down the side of her thigh. The same word that came out of her mouth came out of his. He blinked several more times and shook his head. He pulled his arm back and stepped back, looking confusedly to Lorelai.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

He brought his hand to his brow. "Nothing. I- I just…" He was back in her jeep, stretched out over the small seat as he looked up at her. His hands were in her hair. He saw her looking down to him and giving him a breath-taking smile. He placed his hand over his chest as if his breathing had actually been affected.

"Luke," Lorelai called to him. He snapped out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah," he answered shaking away the images. "I'm fine. I'm just…" He looked at her again, his brow still drawn together, "…losing my mind or something," he said low.

She had done it on purpose. Lorelai had been running her hands along his arm, trying hard not to think about the feel of his muscular arm beneath her fingertips. Her mind told her to lift her hands and back away, but that part of her thinking wasn't very pleasing to her at the time. So, she had continued. She had allowed her hands to slide all the way down until they had reached skin, amazed at how seemingly meaningless touches from him did so much to inflame her insides. She had looked into his face, so many things running through mind. She wanted to ask him how he was doing the things he was doing to her. She wanted to say so much, but then she recalled what he had said to her in her jeep. By the time his eyes connected with hers, that is what chose to come out. She said it exactly as he had.

"You think you're losing your mind, why?" She asked slowly. His grumbling didn't prevent her from hearing what he had said.

He looked down to the floor, shaking his head more resolutely before looking back up. "Never mind," he said. He looked in her face. "Was it as soft as it looked?" he asked trying to bring some normalcy back to the room.

She was still trying to read his weird behavior, but was brought back at his question. She felt the worried look drop from her face, and a smile formed. "It was…better than it looks," she replied nodding. "Softer," she covered.

He smiled. "Yeah?" He asked. He found himself locked in a gaze with her. The images returned to his head, and he pushed them to the rear of his mind, thinking that they were traces of a past dream. Yet, they had seemed so vivid, and the way they had come to his mind made it seem much more real, but he dismissed it.

"Are you flirting with me, Luke?" Lorelai asked teasingly. Again, her eyes fell down to his lips.

He rolled his eyes and the smile dropped from his face. "No, I'm not," he said.

"I think you are," she said softly with a growing smile.

"Well, you think wrong. Don't you have somewhere to be?" He asked quickly.

She released a sigh. "We've already been over this, Lukey. I am yours for the day. Now, back to this flirting thing."

"No," he retorted. "No back to the 'flirting thing' because there was no 'flirting thing'. If you're not going to leave…or go…bother your _boyfriend_ with this cutesy stuff, then just sit there and be quiet." As soon as he had said the statement, he realized that he had mentioned her significant other twice since she'd been in the diner, and he made a mental note not to do it again. It bothered him, and there was no hiding that fact from himself, but coming off intrusive or obsessive to her was not in the game plan.

She smiled wider. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were a little jealous." Lorelai knew that she was enjoying the situation a little too much, but the fact that he was acting this way made her feel indescribably good.

His skin flushed red, and he actually looked embarrassed as he snatched up the coffee pot. "I'm not jealous," he almost whispered. It seemed like he had no cares as to what other things the customers heard, but he chose to say that low. That fact made Lorelai smile even wider. He walked briskly around the counter, filling up coffee mugs all over the place.

It seemed to Lorelai like he was avoiding his inevitable return to the employee only area. When he finally came back, Lorelai was still grinning, and he put the coffee pot down as hard as he could without breaking it. He turned to face her. "I told you, I am not jealous, so whatever you find funny…don't."

She held up a hand and worked on controlling her amusement. "I'm sorry. It's just—" She leaned down and laughed, her hair falling around her face. "You're turning all red. Look at you," she said pointing.

"You know what?" He began, "if you want to laugh, do it from out there," he said pointing to the door.

"I'm sorry," she said, still laughing. "I'm finished. I'm done. I pro—" She chuckled again before taking some deep breaths. "Okay," she said collectedly. "I'm good." She took a moment, making sure she really was. "I promise." Luke looked at her a second longer before rolling his eyes and turning to pick up the coffee pot.

"No matter how long you're staying in here, this is your last refill," he said as he poured her a mug full. "I mean it."

"Fine, I'll just order another cup," she said simply.

"What?"

"A new cup will not qualify as a refill. It's new. There's no REfilling. It's just…filling."

"Yeah, let's see if that'll work," he said almost as a challenge.

He turned and placed the coffee pot back on the base heater. He turned back around to face her. "Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it," he said exhaustedly as he caught her staring at him.

"No, I wasn't…," she said looking down shyly. Luke stopped and looked at her fully. "I was just going to tell you you're wrong."

"About?" He asked.

"About me…having a boyfriend." He nodded slowly and Lorelai could see the questions in his movement. "I don't anymore."

"Okay," he said slowly.

"Just for the record," she added.

"Duly noted," he said.

Lorelai nodded. "Good."

"Good."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Miss Patty, who are all these guys?" Lorelai asked as she walked closer to where the older lady stood.

"Aw, Honey, my future husbands if I have my way," Miss Patty commented with a wide smile.

She looked at the seven men that stood at the bottom of the gazebo. "One for every day of the week, eh Patty?"

"Oh, of course not, Honey. Sunday is the day of rest. Saturday will just be the day of double pleasure." She laughed out loud, and Lorelai shook her head.

"What are they doing?" She asked.

"Liz and TJ are going to be getting married out here this coming weekend, so they're just getting it ready. Laying the groundwork if you know what I mean," she said leaning in. Lorelai didn't know. She was actually having trouble translating it into something dirty because she was sure that's what Miss Patty had meant. Despite her confusion, she nodded anyway.

"They're getting married here? This weekend?"

"Yes and it's a shame too. Such a scrumptious little specimen of a man, that TJ. Such a shame," she said taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Yeah," she said. "Are you going?" She asked changing the subject.

"Oh, god yes! Weddings offer the pick of the litter. I met three of my exes at weddings. Please tell me you're going," Miss Patty said.

"Well, seeing as how I just found out about it, chances are pretty slim."

"Yeah, I heard the seating is pretty limited," Miss Patty said sadly. She perked up. "Hey, why don't you go as Luke's guest? I doubt he's taking anyone."

She considered that option for a second. "Well, I'll see," she said, mainly because she knew that going against Miss Patty could result in an hour long discussion.

"Yeah, you do that because I'll need a pretty little thing like you to handle my leftovers," she said winking. Lorelai smiled at her.

"I'll see you later, Patty," she said walking away.

Miss Patty waved to her back as she resumed her previous task of watching the workers.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Before running into Miss Patty, Lorelai had been heading home, but after speaking with her, she made a detour to _Luke's_. She pushed open the door and walked inside, instantly searching him out.

"Looking for Luke?" She heard Caesar ask.

"Oh, hey Caesar," Lorelai said turning to face him. "Yeah, where is he? Did he step out for a minute?"

"No, he's upstairs. He went up to grab some lunch," he told her.

Lorelai's face scrunched in amused confusion. "He went upstairs to eat when he owns a diner?"

Caesar shrugged. "That's Luke for ya," he told her before disappearing in the back.

As if she had every right in the world, Lorelai walked over to the curtain and pushed it aside before ascending the stairs. When she reached her destination, she gave the door three quick knocks.

"Caesar, I told you I'd be back in fifteen minutes. I know the diner—" He pulled the door open. "What are you doing up here?" he asked her directly.

Lorelai walked past him into his apartment. "Well," she began, "It's nice to see you too. I see the two day stint was as hard for you as it was for me."

He shut the door and let out a sigh. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see you. Besides, I saw you the _whole_ day on Tuesday, remember?"

"Yeah, well, it still hurt," she pouted.

He walked over and grabbed a glass off of the table placing it in the sink. "So, what's up, what's wrong?" He asked her.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," she replied as she wandered over and pulled out a chair at his kitchen table.

"Have a seat," he said sarcastically as she made herself comfortable. He took a seat across from where she sat.

"So, what's going on?" she asked happily.

He shrugged. "Same old."

"Really?" She asked dubiously.

"Really," he repeated back to her.

"So, there's nothing going on with you? Say…this weekend?"

He looked at her like she was the _'one'_ who had flown over the cuckoo's nest. "I was…thinking about changing the oil in my truck."

"Fun," she said dismissively. "Listen, I ran into Miss Patty in the square. She said your sister's getting married," she said getting right to the point.

"Yeah," he said with nonchalance.

"…this weekend."

"Yeah," he responded in the same tone.

Lorelai's eyes went wide. "So?" She said, asking for clarification.

"So, what?" He asked, growing frustrated.

She scoffed. "Luke, why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

His eyes scanned the room thoughtfully. "I wasn't really aware that that was your business," he said evenly.

"Oh really?" She asked rhetorically. "Well, for future reference, any event going on in Stars Hollow is my business," she said smartly.

He spoke with poise. "I'm sorry, is this like training for Miss Patty's school of busybodies? Are you on assignment right now?"

"So, who are you taking?" She asked pointedly, completely ignoring his sardonic inquiry.

"_I'm_ dreading going to this thing. Why would I drag somebody else into it?"

"But this is your sister we're talking about."

"Exactly," he told her. "This _is_ my sister. That said, I doubt this marriage will make it past reception, so excuse me for not jumping up for joy."

Lorelai sat back in her chair as she looked at him. "Luke, even if she screws up on occasion, this time could be different. There's a first time for everything." He dropped his gaze as if considering her words. "And, if this is that…first time for her, I think it would really mean a lot to her to have you there in her corner. And happy to be there, you know?" Luke looked up and found her smiling at him in a subtle way that nearly made his heart melt. They shared a gaze for a moment before Lorelai added, "I mean, I always want you there in my corner, so I _know_ for your sister," she placed her hand over her heart, "it would mean _so much_."

He released a sigh and dropped his gaze once again to his lap. He looked up at her quickly before returning his attention downward. "Do you want to go?" He asked shyly.

Lorelai smiled wide before getting it under control. "Why, Lucas, are you asking me on a date?" She teased.

"Lorelai—" he said tiredly as he looked up.

"I'd love to go," she answered leaning forward as she said the words.

He looked at her for a moment as if waiting for her to laugh and wave the cameras out of hiding. Instead, the content smile on her face just expanded. "Okay," he said satisfied.

"Okay," she echoed.

"I'll see you Saturday, then," Luke said to her.

"Or before."

"Oh, well, yeah before," he fumbled, "but Saturday, definitely…see you."

Lorelai smiled wide at his nervousness before deciding to rescue him. "So, is it going to start whenever I show up, or is there a set time?" She asked.

"Oh, of course," he said leaning up in his seat. "Where did I put that invita—ahh," he said in remembrance. He hopped up and got it off the top of the refrigerator. He walked back over and handed it to her. "Here you go. You can keep it."

She slid it slowly out of his fingers, feeling stupid for (but at the same time-not caring about) turning everything into a moment between them.

"Renaissance theme, hunh?" She asked looking up at him. He still stood beside her.

"Yeah," he said waving dismissively. "Wear whatever you want."

"Renaissance?" She said in thought. "Oh, this is going to be fun," she said.

He looked down at her, almost able to see the wheels turning in her head. "Remember you're going as _my_ date, so please don't wear anything too out there." He smiled and then looked confused when Lorelai looked up to him quickly. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just…don't want to bring attention to my_ 'date'_," she said stressfully.

"Oh…no…I didn't—I mean, if—"

"I'll keep it simple for you," she said standing up. Luke took a step back since her new standing position would have almost caused frontal contact.

Without even thinking about it, Lorelai took a small step forward. At that very moment, her brain kicked back into gear, and she turned to her right causing her shoulder to brush against his chest as she walked away.

Though Luke didn't notice her slight advance, he most certainly felt the body contact. Inside and out. But to him, that was nothing new.

"Okay, I'll let you get ba—" Lorelai froze by the chair that Luke had been sitting in as she stared at a spot a few feet away.

Luke looked around her to see what she was looking at, but he saw nothing deserving of a sudden pause. "What's wrong?" He asked. She said nothing.

The spot that currently held her attention had inadvertently triggered a past memory. An occurrence that had taken place in that very location.

"Lorelai," Luke called.

_'One kiss, Luke'_. Luke leaned in and pressed his lips to hers and the entire world stilled. Everything, even the smallest molecule stopped and allowed them the moment. A moment that suddenly seemed to, despite its circumstance, arouse everything down to the soles of Lorelai's feet. She stared into the, now, empty space.

"Lorelai," Luke called again. This time he came and stood directly in front of her.

She looked up at him and smiled like nothing had happened. "What?" She asked calmly like it was the first time her name had been called.

He looked behind him. "What the hell were you looking at?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said convincingly. "I'll see you this Saturday," she said quickly. She gave his arm a playful tap and left his apartment.

Luke watched the door close before turning to look at the spot she had been watching. "Yeah, I'll see ya," he muttered, still scanning the area.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Mom, you look beautiful." Lorelai spun around and stopped with a flaunting pose causing Rory to chuckle. "Does it feel like you're going on a real date?"

Lorelai bent over toward the mirror and started to check her make-up. "I guess you can say that," she said with an emerging smile.

"I see that," Rory said calmly of the smile as she sat on her mom's bed.

"What can I say? Free food, entertainment…I plan to have a good time tonight, Kid."

"Not to mention, good company," Rory added.

"You mean Luke?" Lorelai asked almost as a statement.

"Of course," Rory said casually as she picked at a stray thread on her own blouse.

"Well, I guess it won't completely suck. I plan to torture him silly with my new Period talk. I've been practicing," she said proudly.

"I know. I don't think you're quite ready for the final yet, though." Lorelai waved her comment away without even turning around. "So," Rory continued. "What's been going on with you two?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Him pourer, me drinker."

"Yeah, okay," Rory said doubtfully.

"It's still Luke, and I'm still me. Everything is the same, Rory," she stated matter-of-factly.

Rory watched her apply a layer of lipstick. "Are you starting to have feelings for him, Mom?" She asked it in such a simple, unobtrusive way. Lorelai placed the cap back on her lipstick and turned around to face Rory.

"Would that be weird?" She asked softly.

"It would be weird if you weren't happy. Luke is a great guy, Mom. You know this." Lorelai fell silent as she looked down to the floor. Rory looked at her for a moment before responding. "You don't have to answer my question if you're not ready. It's okay. Just…go and have a good time." She paused. "Curfew is extended an extra hour tonight." Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "Only because it's Luke," Rory added quickly.

"Thanks Mom," Lorelai said jokingly.

"You're welcome, and remember, don't give away all your milk for free."

"I know, I know," Lorelai responded. "Just pass out nice, filling samples."

"Eggzzzaactly," Rory said proudly.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Wow." Luke looked down to her dress and let his eyes travel back up to her face without being obvious. "You look…amazing," he commented.

Lorelai couldn't help but blush. "So do you," she replied shyly. She found herself staring at him. She couldn't deny that he looked incredibly handsome. So much so that when she opened her door, she wondered if her tongue had rolled out of her mouth and out past the threshold like on the Cartoon Network. His everyday attire made him look attractive and rugged. Definitely a turn-on, but his appearance as he stood at her door was just downright sexy.

Lorelai watched him look at her, and she could wholeheartedly attest to the fact that she had never felt sexier in her life. It was just something about having _his _attention and _his_ stares that did something to her. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't give of either of them freely or just the fact that it was _him_. Whatever it was, Lorelai knew that if he showed any non-platonic interest in her at all tonight, the amount of urgency in starting and ending the free sampling with him would create a new category for Guinness. And, most importantly, it really didn't seem to bother her that she was thinking this way.

"You ready to go?" Luke asked her. She nodded and walked out beside him. He placed a gentle palm on the small of her back, but he brought his hand down quickly as if he felt that he was violating her in some way. Lorelai bit her tongue at that very moment because she was about to let him know of the many places his hand could have free reign over. Her back would be undoubtedly the most appropriate. _'If he only knew'_, she thought to herself.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The ceremony went over as well as could be expected with the theme that was chosen. Lorelai found that she was enjoying the evening much more than she could have imagined she would. Luke was the perfect gentleman. He pulled out chairs, and he made sure she had everything she needed and wanted before he sat down to eat. She was simply taken aback by him. In every way. She even had a moment of silence as she tried to think back to the last time she was as happy as she felt with him. A greater silence fell over her when she realized it was in 1984. When the world's most perfect offspring came into the world.

"What's wrong? Do you need something?" She heard Luke ask.

She looked up and smiled. "I'm perfect, Luke."

"Good. Because I need you to do me a favor," he responded.

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

"You see her?" Lorelai followed his finger.

"Crazy Carrie?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"What about her?" She asked still looking at the woman.

"If she pinches my ass one more time, I'm going to have to poke her with a stick or something." Lorelai returned her attention back to him with a wide smile.

"That would be entertaining," she responded. He rolled his eyes. "So, what do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just kind of stay close. Maybe, she'll have some class and respect if she thinks I'm really _with _you."

Lorelai's eyes fell out to the side of where they sat. She looked back to him. "Well, if you really want to send her a message, there's one way that I know of," she said to him.

"What's that?" he asked leaning in eagerly.

Her eyes fell back to its previous location. "We could dance," she said casually.

He looked out to where she was looking. "Unh unh. What's plan B? I don't dance."

Lorelai looked down and smiled like she was a part of some privileged information. She recovered and stood up. "I think you'll manage," she said pulling him by the hand.

He mumbled his objections while all the while being pulled to his feet. "Okay, okay," he said finally.

They made it out to a comfortable spot on the dance floor, and only then did Lorelai notice that her hand had been resting in his every since he agreed to share a dance with her. She wondered if he had done it or if she had subconsciously initiated it. But that was pushed aside in her mind once they made it to their spot.

Luke stepped close to her, but a great distance still separated them. She looked into his eyes and he looked back at her with a look that almost mirrored the one that he had given her on that night. Her breath literally felt like it had been stolen. It wasn't ten seconds into the dance, and Lorelai, without any hesitation and no words spoken, walked completely into him. Her very close position made it awkward to hold their cordial hand-in-hand dancing position, so Luke, though shocked at her sudden closeness, slowly let his hands fall to her waist. And Lorelai brought her hands up around his neck. They swayed slowly, finding their rhythm to be a beat behind everyone else's. Her head rested on his shoulder, and it got to a point where she no longer heard the music. She didn't hear anything other than the loud thumping her heart mixed with the nervous thumping of his.

"Lorelai," she heard Luke calling. His voice was so soft that she felt that he was waking her. "Lorelai," he called again. She lifted her head and looked around her. The music had stopped and everyone was standing around, awaiting the next record. She stepped back, looking down to her shoes. "I think it worked," he said trying to catch her eye. She looked off to the side to find Carrie eyeing them with a look that could kill.

"I guess it did," she commented with a lazy smile.

"Let's get you over to the table to get your jacket. You must be freezing." She looked down at her hand and saw it trembling.

"That must be it," she said softly as he led her back to the table.

TBC...

**Let me just go ahead and apologize for any potential suckage that may come from this, and I'd hate it if I messed it up for any of you, but I was in such a freakin' rush. I had to get it done while I had time to do so, and I have waited long enough to get out another chapter, so, well anyway…let me know what you think. Also, I think C was a very popular answer, but so was D, so it'll be somewhere in there. Sorry A's and B's. Hopefully, you won't give up on the story :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: I was in a bit of a rush last time. So, I didn't get a chance to warn you guys that I had delved a little into the actual storyline, changing it to suit my fic. It didn't seem like anyone was too traumatized, though, so we're good. I know I originally said 4 chapters, but I also said _maybe_, so I covered myself pretty well, I think. Anyway, there will be six total. I hope you all haven't lost interest by now. That would suck. I'm getting there slowly but surely so just try to hang in there for me. Thank you to everyone for everything said. I can't say that enough.

**Junkie Turned Angel** **Part V**

Lorelai walked into her house and shut the door lightly. She sat her purse on the small table in the foyer. The house was quiet. Her shoes, ones that she had gotten specifically for the wedding, clicked loudly on the floor as she began to walk. She stopped and held onto the wall's edge as she slid both shoes off her feet. She peeked into the living room to see if there was a figure on the couch, but there wasn't one. So, she made her way toward the kitchen, snatching a ponytail holder up from the hallway desk on the way. She quickly tied her hair before slowly pushing open Rory's cracked door.

"Rory," Lorelai called barely above a whisper. Rory's small frame lay immobile underneath her blankets. Without another word, Lorelai backed up and shut the door quietly. She dropped both hands by her sides, and walked back toward the living room, taking slow, sluggish steps. She headed up the staircase and into her room falling lazily onto the mattress.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Mom," Rory said after sticking her head in and noticing Lorelai wide awake. "I thought you'd still be asleep. What are you doing up?" She asked coming fully inside with her overnight bag hanging from her shoulder.

Lorelai was lying on her back as she looked up to the ceiling. "Hey, Kid," she said sweetly, not bothering to look away. "What are you doing up so early?"

Rory sat down on the bed. "That was my question first," she responded. "What time did you get in?" She asked looking at her, now, wrinkled dress. She still had on everything she'd left in, minus the shoes.

"Tenish?" Lorelai answered unsurely.

Rory looked at her mom's chosen sleepwear once more before asking, "Why didn't you change clothes?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "I don't know," she answered. "Tired, I guess."

Rory got comfortable on the bed. "So, did you have a good time?"

"It was great," Lorelai said quietly.

"Sounds like it," Rory said sarcastically, listening to her mom's tone.

A short silence followed. "Ask me again," Lorelai said out of nowhere.

"What, about your night?"

"No, what you asked me last night. Ask me again." Lorelai turned her head and looked at a confused Rory. She sat trying to think about their conversation from the night before, and Lorelai just watched as she tried to figure out what she was referring to.

Suddenly something clicked. "Are you talking about you and Luke?" Rory asked. Lorelai looked at her, her eyes answering the question that was seeking an answer. "Oh," Rory said looking down. "Okay, um, are you starting to have feelings for him?" She asked hesitantly.

Lorelai didn't answer her right away but instead, just stared into her face like she was expecting her to read her mind. Finally, she spoke. "That would be putting it mildly," she said. Rory looked to be at a loss for words. She stared back at Lorelai with wide, bright eyes. And Lorelai turned back to the ceiling casually. "Very mildly," she added shutting her eyes lightly.

"Wow," Rory said after a while. "That's just…wow."

"Tell me about it," Lorelai said calmly like they were discussing the weather.

"So, what happened? Did something happen between you guys last night?" Rory asked, suddenly very anxious.

Lorelai closed her eyes. "No, nothing like what you're thinking. We went, we talked, we laughed, we danced, he completely just stole my breath, and then he walked me home. Normal night." Her eyes remained closed like she was on the verge of falling asleep.

Rory watched her. "And, this is okay with you? Seeing Luke in this light? Oh my god, wait, is he the reason why you broke up with Jason?" She asked stumbling over her own sentences.

"Jason and I ended because it was time, Honey. I'm not getting any younger, and being in a relationship with next to no true feelings was not really working for me anymore." Lorelai had opened her eyes and was speaking to Rory seriously from her horizontal position. She sighed and closed her eyes again, taking a moment to get her thoughts together. "And as far as Luke goes, I don't know. It's like all the normal butterflies that pop up when you're infatuated except it's like multiplied by ten. It's not really allowing me room to see if I'm _okay_ with it or not."

Rory looked at her sorrowfully.

Lorelai placed her hands on the mattress and slowly slid her body to a sitting position. "I mean, you should have seen me last night, Rory. I was _literally_ two seconds away from just ripping his clothes off."

"Mom," Rory said like she was going to be sick.

"Sorry," she said quietly. She hung her head. Rory thought it best to give her a moment to think. She seemed like she just needed to confide, so she waited for her to speak. Lorelai lifted her head and shook it slowly. "He walked me home," she began. "He walked me home, told me he had fun, thanked me for going, and he left," she said shrugging. "That was it."

"Was it not supposed to be?" Rory asked.

"Rory, if Luke was feeling even a smidgen of what I feeling over the course of this past we—night," she corrected quickly, "He would not have been able to walk off of that porch so easily."

"Did you just say '_smidgen_'?" Rory asked with a contained smile.

"Rory, I'm being serious," Lorelai said ruefully.

"I'm sorry. You just kind of took me back to a sixties sitcom for a second," she said still trying to bring a smile to Lorelai's face, but all she got was a painful sounding chuckle.

Lorelai looked down pitifully before looking out of the window. The sun was just coming up, and small streaks peeped into the room. "This is Luke," she said quietly. "Our Luke. Who I feel like I've known forever." She sounded like she was having a conversation with herself. She looked back down to her lap. "I mean, sometimes he gives me these looks that make me feel like--." She sighed. "But," she continued, "I can't do this by myself. I can't. Maybe that night was just a drunken…fluke or something."

"Excuse me, but, uh, can we back up here? What happened that night?"

Lorelai looked to Rory thoughtfully. "Nothing. Apparently nothing happened, Rory. Nothing worth remembering anyway. He can't," she added softly.

Rory's mouth dropped open. "Did you guys have sex?" She asked bluntly.

Lorelai just looked at her pointedly. "Do I have _nymphomaniac_ stamped on my forehead?" Rory actually looked at her forehead like she was checking for a brand. Lorelai continued. "I wouldn't just have relations with a drunk guy." She tilted her head in thought. "Unless we were already involved and both of us were two sheets to the wind. Then, all bets are off."

Rory rolled her eyes, then responded, "I know, but this is Luke we're talking about. Not some random lush. _Did you guys have sex?_" She repeated undauntedly.

"You know if I were not so tired, I would be able to show you how truly offended I am." Lorelai paused, using that time to reflect on how right Rory's words were. "No, we did not," she finally answered.

"Okay then," Rory responded quickly. "At any point in the evening did you start to enjoy all of his, um, _attention_?"

"So, what are you doing up so early?" Lorelai asked in avoidance of an answer. She didn't want to lie to her.

"I'm heading back to Hartford," Rory said with a smile that told Lorelai that her tactic was not about to work. She said the words quickly and sat looking at Lorelai with growing amusement.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I guess deep, deep, deep down, I--." She looked at Rory's disbelieving look, causing her to recant. "Okay, it was nice," she admitted. "It was right-on-the-surface nice." Rory smiled and looked down, processing what she had just heard. "But it really doesn't matter," she continued. "Because it's just me. I'm in this alone seems like." She sounded so sad as the words came out of her mouth. "It's too hard."

"Well, how is Luke acting? Does he still not remember _anything_?"

"Not that I know of, and if he does, he's doing a terrific job of keeping it to himself."

"So, just tell him, Mom," she said shrugging like it was the easiest solution in the world. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Lorelai gave her a problematic expression. "He could _hear_ me."

"Mom--"

"Rory, listen," Lorelai interrupted, "I'm not going to force this, okay? As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't feel the same way I do. That's it. I've been debating this thing all night. I'm tired, borderline cranky, and I'm about five seconds away from driving myself insane with this. And no matter what the weather is like this time of year, Bellview just doesn't sound very appealing. At least not until Prada takes interest in the jackets."

"So, what, you're just going to ignore how you feel?"

"And what's the alternative?" Lorelai asked expectantly. "Tell him and have him look at me like I'm crazy? Oh, let's not forget the very gigantic strain that it would put on all future encounters." She settled herself back on the bed. "No, thank you," she said dismally.

"Do you think that he wouldn't want to explore this with you?" Rory asked looking at her like she was crazy. "I don't know if you can picture Luke doing this, but do you remember the little heel clap in _'Mary Poppins'_?" Lorelai actually laughed as she pictured it. "It'd be a little like that, Mom. He may even break out in song." Lorelai shook her head, getting ready to dispute, Rory knew. "And before you tell me how wrong I am, let me just remind you of something I'm sure you have been battling with anyway. I don't know exactly what went on with you two that night or how far you let it get without intending to do so," she held up a finger even though Lorelai wasn't about to say anything, "But, Mom, you know that whatever Luke did or said that night was...him. I mean, you can't just pretend that that was him being horny or whatever. Man, that's disgusting," she said low. "Anyway, you'd be making a big mistake to let yourself think that. If anything, whatever he drank just gave him courage to say the things that he said."

Lorelai stared at a spot on the wall as Rory talked and continued to stare even after she'd finished.

"But again, I think you know all of this," Rory added staring into her mom's face. "Why don't you get some sleep because it doesn't look like you've gotten much of it. I'll call you tonight, okay?" Rory stood up from the bed and gave Lorelai a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Mom."

"Who exactly is the parent here?" Lorelai asked amusedly.

Rory looked upward. "What's today, Sunday? Yeah, it's still my weekend. You can take these burdensome reins back tomorrow." Rory said as she walked toward the door.

"Rory?" She turned back to face her mom. "Thanks," Lorelai said simply.

Rory smiled and exited the room.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Due to Lorelai's lack of sleep the previous night, she ended up sleeping well into the afternoon. Stumbling out of bed a quarter after three, she took a shower and dressed in casual clothing. She came down the stairs and stopped at the bottom step, taking a moment to look around her, now, empty house. She didn't have to go to work, so she wondered what she could do to entertain herself. Watching a movie was an obvious choice, but she didn't exactly feel like doing that. Her options, however, were pretty limited since she had little desire to actually go someplace else.

She wandered into the kitchen and pulled open both the refrigerator and the freezer doors. She actually had food. Boxes of frozen pizza rolls, ice cream, sandwich makings, oreos, and other random items sat awaiting consumption, but she closed the doors back and considered making a pot of coffee. Not even feeling a desire for that, she instantly wondered if she was becoming sick.

The telephone rang out, giving her something to do, so she rushed over and answered it with haste. "Hello," she said happily into the receiver, "Gilmore residence. The non-oppressive one. Here where you can feel free to be free, we aim to make your visit with us as fabuloso as possible. How can I help you today?"

"Just out of curiosity, do you have a list of crap to say when you answer the phone, or is it all spontaneous?"

Lorelai smiled at hearing Luke's voice. "It's all spur of the moment. Whatever comes out, comes out," she said walking toward the sofa.

"That's a scary thought," he commented.

"I'm sure you mean that with love."

"Nothing but," he deadpanned.

Lorelai crossed her legs on the couch. "So, what's up? Missed me already?" She asked jokingly.

"Of course," he said distractedly before yelling at a customer to wait a second. Lorelai smiled wide at his _kinda _admission. "Listen," he continued, "I wanted to run something by you."

"Shoot."

"I was going to stop by to give you something, and I just wanted to make sure you'd be home. How long are you there for?"

"Uh, I don't have any plans," she said hesitantly as she wondered what he was bringing her.

"So, you'll be home all day?" He asked like he was shocked at her availability.

"Well, unless they turn boogie nights into boogie days, in which case, I'll be too busy shaking my groove thing to hear your arrival."

There was a pause on the line. "Well, call me back if that happens," he said as if what she had just said made complete sense.

"Will do. You know about what time you'll be here?"

"Uuuuh," he said in thought. "I'd say the next half hour or so. Lane and Caesar are here, so give me an hour tops and I'll be there."

"Okay," She said, wondering even more about what he could possibly be giving her.

"Okay," he said. "See you later."

"Bye," she said hanging up. The first thing she did was look down at her clothes. Jeans and a t-shirt wasn't looking as good as it had when she'd gotten out of the shower, but deciding that she was not going to make a big deal out of the visit, she just sat tight.

-----------------

When Lorelai heard a knock on the door, she immediately looked to the clock and saw that he'd made it in under forty-five minutes. She stood up and flipped off the television, regretting instantly her decision to not change clothing. She had been going back and forth in her head, and each time, she'd think of something else to keep herself from obsessing about his arrival. And there she'd remain- in the same pair of pants and the same comfortable, yet not very attractive top. She shrugged off her worries and walked insistently toward the door, all the while telling her inner clothes-whore of a voice to just hush.

"You made it," she said shyly when she'd opened the door. Why her voice had dropped the way it had to a feeble-sounding replacement was somewhat perplexing to even her.

"I made it," he said, his voice much more confident than hers had been. He looked at her attire and smiled.

"What?" She asked, feeling self-conscious and a tad more regretful about not changing her clothes.

"Nothing. You look nice," he said simply.

And she instantly assumed he was being sarcastic. "Thanks," she said cynically.

"No, you do," he said truthfully. "Understated kind of suits you."

She smiled and turned her head slightly as if asking _'Really?!'_. "I mean, not that your regular way of dressing is not suitable, you know, to you..." She smiled wider and decided to let him finish his thought. Whatever it was. He continued on. "Because you usually, you know, look--." He sighed and dropped his head. "Are you just going to leave me hanging out here?" He asked her.

"Well, you looked a little wet," she teased as she stepped to the side. "Come in." He stepped inside and looked around.

"Rory still here? In Stars Hollow, I mean?" He asked her.

"No, she went back to school this morning," she said. Luke nodded and continued to look around. "Um, did you come to inspect my house or to give me a present?" She asked playfully. She held out her hands. "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

He smiled at her behavior. "Well, it's not really a present," he said as he pulled an object from underneath his arm, "But it's something I wanted you to have." Lorelai reached for it, and he pulled it back. "Now," he began, amused at the pout that formed on her lips. "Before you open it, just know that I didn't have a lot of time to finish it, so don't expect a lot." She reached for it again, and he pulled it back...again. That time he laughed and then extended it out to her.

"Meanie," Lorelai said before breaking out in a wide grin. "Nice wrapping here," she said referring to the layers of newspaper that it was wrapped in. "Santa must be proud of his little off-season elf."

"Just open it," he said looking down at the wrapping. She tore at it. "I wrapped it in the comics because I figured you would appreciate that," he added. Lorelai looked up at him and saw an anxious smile on his face. "What?" He asked, noting the break in ripping.

"Nothing," she answered with a smile as she turned her attention back on her task. She tore away the last piece of paper. Her smile narrowed and turned into a look of adoration as she stared down at the frame in her hands. "How did you..." Words escaped her.

He looked down to the picture. "Well, a few weeks ago when you finally got the outside of the Inn renovated, I got a guy to come out and take some shots. He took _a lot _," he stressed. "It seemed like we were out there all damn day." It was obvious that he was beginning to relive his frustration on that day. "I told him we only had a couple hours because I didn't want you to come back and see us, but he had to stay and get the perfect light and the perfect shot," he said mocking the man. He calmed down. "But I can't complain too much because this was one of the last ones he took." He looked from the picture to Lorelai and back again. She still hadn't said anything. "It was my idea to put it in black and white. Makes it look classic," Luke went on to say. "Plus it does something for the light. That's what the guy told me." He found himself rambling nervously in her uncharacteristic silence. "So, what do you think?" He asked warily.

Lorelai continued to stare down at the picture. It was a huge blow-up of the Dragonfly. It was gorgeous, to say the least, and Lorelai could almost hear birds chirping as she looked at the serene shot. Luke had placed the photo in a frame made of what looked to be pebbled stone. Its details looked incredible and suggested that he had definitely put time and effort into making it. The colors were modest. Not wanting to draw attention from the centered attraction, he had brushed shades of burgundy and silver onto it. These combinations complimented the picture perfectly without overdoing it. At the bottom was an inscription that read:

_'Proof that even when Angels fall, they can still soar'_

_To Lorelai_

_From Luke_

Lorelai opened her mouth, but it took a while for words to come out. "Luke, this is amazing- - I can't believe you did this."

Luke smiled, still nervous. "So, you like it?"

"I love it," she said still in a state of shock. "I love it- -so much- -thank you- - I don't even know what- -thank you," she repeated more firmly.

"You're welcome," he said, finally releasing the breath he was holding. "I'm glad you like it."

The biggest desire Lorelai had at the moment was to go over and envelope him in a tight embrace. She was so overwhelmed by what he had done that if there was not already an ever growing infatuation, one would have sprung up with that act. She had to take a moment and get her emotions under control. She and Luke didn't hug, and she honestly didn't trust herself to platonically participate in or initiate one.

She looked down to the frame before setting it slowly on the coffee table. She was having a slight problem convincing herself to let it go. So, once it hit the table, she stood up quickly looking to Luke. He stood looking at her. He blinked, and then continued to look at her with an almost anxious air about him. "So," Lorelai said clasping her hands together, "um, you staying for a while? Because I can put on some tea or something…that tastes more like coffee." She smiled. "Why don't I just start some coffee, huh?" She asked happily. She started to walk toward the kitchen.

Luke watched her turn and walk away, almost unable to speak. "Hey, Lorelai," he finally managed. She stopped and turned toward him. He continued. "I, uh, actually came over here to talk to you, too…about something," he said uncomfortably.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

They stood about five feet apart, and Luke took a small step toward her. "I, uh, had a great time last night," he said apprehensively. When that came out, Luke wondered where exactly it had come from. While he did have a great time the night before, that wasn't exactly why he'd called her name.

Lorelai laughed softly. "I had fun, too," she said genuinely.

Luke nodded and looked down to the floor long enough to collect himself. He _needed _to get it together, and this is what he kept telling himself as he looked down. Lorelai watched him, the smile slowly fading from her face. She wondered what exactly he could be so nervous about. By the time he looked up, he was able to maintain eye contact with her without shying away. That accomplished, he knew he'd be able to continue.

"Lorelai, over the last few days I've kind of been thinking I was really...going crazy." Lorelai looked at him strangely wondering where he could possibly be going with the conversation. He took another slight step in her direction.

"The thing is," he continued. "I started having these, um, _visuals _." He took another step, closing in on four feet.

"The first time it happened, I dismissed it." He added timidly, "I mean, it could have easily been leftovers from a dream...of mine." As he took another step, Lorelai suddenly realized that he was coming closer. But, she remained clueless as to what he was talking about.

He continued on slowly. "But once I'd had the first one, more just kind of kept coming to me," he said. He took another step.

"And then, what I noticed in these...visuals, was that you always had on the same exact outfit..." Like someone had dinged her on the head with a bat, it suddenly hit Lorelai, and she knew instantly what he was getting at. She quickly became extremely aware of him closing in on her, but she stayed calm.

"Now, I could be wrong...but here's what I remember..." He was now at three feet. Lorelai looked up into his eyes silently.

"I remember touching you..." He said. Lorelai swallowed. Another step.

"And, at first I was mad because I shouldn't have..." Another step, "been touching you...like that. But something else," Another step. Two feet. "...came to me..."

Lorelai felt as if she might faint. "And, I remembered holding onto you. We were dancing. Close. And then," Another step. "I saw a kiss." Another step. Twelve inches.

"Now, I can't remember how it started, but..." Tiny step. "I did see you--I felt you...kissing me back." Another tiny step. "I felt your lips on mine," he whispered. Lorelai wasn't the least bit surprised when it felt that every ounce of blood in her entire body seemed to rush to one spot. Her heart pumped wildly.

He ceased movement when they were four inches apart, and he looked calmly into her eyes while she looked searchingly back into his.

"The first one I had--in the first 'visual'- I was running my hand through your hair." With great hesitance, he brought his hand up to her hairline, and Lorelai started to noticeably breathe heavier. She held as much composure as she could. "...like this," he said as he slowly inched his shaky right hand through her hair. With this, Lorelai was given her greatest test of self-control.

"Luke..." She said shakily.

"Am I wrong?" He whispered still staring into her eyes. "Was it just me, Lorelai?" His hand still moved through her hair. "Tell me I imagined it," he said softly. His breathing had picked up as well.

Lorelai's eyes closed, and she leaned into his hand. Nearly a minute passed in silence, just hightened breathing filling the air. "No," she finally answered. "It...god," she whispered, allowing his simple caress to flow over her momentarily. "It wasn't just you," she managed to say, the last word riding a heavy exhale.

"It happened?" He asked quietly, still trying to believe it himself.

She opened her eyes and hesitated. "It's happening," she corrected. Lorelai placed her hand over his as he stilled it in her hair. She brought both their hands downward and just stood looking at him. He looked back to her, but neither made a move. Eyes moved over lips and darkened, signifying that both were on the same page.

"Luke..." Lorelai whispered after a while. He tore his attention away from her lips and looked into her eyes. She smiled. "Are you going to kiss me?" She asked even softer.

Luke broke out in a wide smile before it quickly faded away. He brought both hands up and placed them on her sides causing her to walk closer to him. They were now mere centimeters apart, and Lorelai could feel his breath on her cheek. Luke leaned in and brushed his nose over hers, and Lorelai closed her eyes, feeling a greater sensual arousal. She swallowed hard. "Luke," she breathed out, "Please." Her eyes remained closed, and her heartbeat steadily increased.

She suddenly felt warm breath on her lips, and she opened her eyes just as Luke's lips came down softly on hers. Her eyes slid shut once again, and all at once, her mind went completely on auto-pilot. She leaned into him, snaking her arms one by one around his neck. Their lips parted, both silently agreeing that it was time to openly explore. Luke's tongue came out and flicked lightly against hers. Before Lorelai was given a chance to fully reciprocate or appreciate, everything was brought to a screeching halt.

"Mom, you here?"

Luke and Lorelai jumped apart. Luke turned toward the staircase, his face unable to hide any of his embarrassment. Lorelai's hand quickly went to her face and hair, rubbing each as if Luke's imprints would be visible. She turned quickly toward Luke and turned back just in time to see Rory coming through the foyer.

"Honey," she said in a small voice. She walked toward her. "Hi, what are you--you doing here?" She asked with a guilty smile.

"I left my cell," Rory said as she bent down and picked it from the side table. "Why didn't you answer the house phone? I called like three times. Hey, Luke," she said casually.

Luke turned halfway around, looking at her quickly before dropping his head. "Hey, Rory. How's it, uh, how's it going with Yale?"

"It's going good," Rory said, taking notice in his odd behavior. She looked back at Lorelai who was looking to Luke, too. Rory barely caught it because Lorelai turned her attention back to her so quickly. She smiled waveringly.

"I, uh," Lorelai closed her eyes trying desperately to get some concrete thoughts back, "yeah, I turned the ringer off in my room. I must have slept through your calls. Sorry," she said. Her cheeks had a rosy quality that Rory found a little odd.

"That's okay," she said, dismissing the weird behavior. "Now, I get to drive all the way back. Fantastic," she said sarcastically as she dropped down to the couch. The room was silent for a long moment.

"I'm going to go ahead and take off," Luke said looking instantly to Lorelai. Her mouth fell open slightly as if to object, and she looked to Rory. Rory looked straight ahead, paying them very little attention, more concerned with having to take another trip back to school.

"Oh, okay, um, I guess I'll see you later, then," she said.

He walked past the couch, throwing a quick wave to Rory. He slowed when he got near Lorelai, but he didn't get close enough to tempt himself. "Yeah, I'll see you a little later, Lorelai," he said locking eyes with her. She nodded quickly, finding it difficult to break eye contact with him.

"Okay," she said, since her brain had left her hanging out to dry.

He walked past her and out of the door, and Lorelai's gaze immediately went to Rory. "Oh, my god!" She said with a smile while walking over to Rory.

"What?" Rory asked distractedly. She turned her head toward her. "Why were you guys acting so weird?"

"Rory, you know I love you," Lorelai said still smiling

"Yeah," Rory said unsurely.

"Then, know that I am saying this with nothing but love."

"Okay," She said in the same tone.

Lorelai reached out her hand. "Give me your key..."

**TBC... **

I am getting tired of these sporadic updates. Believe me, it's probably bothering me more than it is you guys. Dammit, the next chapter is going to be it! I'm going to bring this to an end. Maybe, if I write that, it'll have more of a chance of being true. The real reason I wanted one more chapter is b/c I am very sure where I want it to go, but, I thought I'd write some intro stuff and let you guys see if you really want to do the C thing or DEFINITELY a D thing. _'D thing' _...hehehe. I can tone it down. Otherwise, the rating will be raised. Oh, and the key line is a joke btw. Don't want to have everyone thinking Lorelai's really evicting the girl. I'll try to have the rest finished and posted byyyyyyy...I'll say Friday. Peace for now.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, I'm done. I promised Friday, and I will probably never do that again because I busted my ass trying to uphold that. Nope, probably won't do that again. It's like midnight exactly, so I apologize for that. Love you guys. Awesome reviews...read and loved every one of them. Yep, _every_ one. :-)

**Junkie Turned Angel Part VI**

Rory looked down to Lorelai's outstretched hand. "What are you talking about?" She asked tiredly.

Lorelai brought her hand back and took a seat on the coffee table in front of Rory. She positioned her hands tightly in her own lap while staring lovingly at her daughter. Rory looked back to her worriedly, wondering if she was okay. Finally, Lorelai reached out a hand and began running it down the side of Rory's face.

"You know what I've always loved most about you, Sweetie?" She asked as she continued to rub.

"No," Rory answered suspiciously as she watched her mom's hand movement.

"You have always _always_ been so very intuitive," she said taking her hand away. She released a fake sob. "_What happened_?" She asked.

"Mom, have you been sniffing coffee grinds through a straw again?"

Lorelai dropped her face in her hands. "Rory, Rory, _Rory_!" She whined.

Rory's eyes fell to Lorelai's bowed head, and that's when she noticed the frame on the table beside her. She leaned up and picked it up. "When did you get this done?" She asked. Lorelai lifted her head, a pout still on her lips. Rory continued. "This is gorge--wait," she said looking at the bottom of the frame, then at Lorelai. "Luke gave you this?" Rory asked.

"_Yeeeees_," Lorelai cried out playfully as she stomped her feet. "He made it. And before I could get to the thanking part, you--"

"Ew!" Rory said with a frown. She gave Lorelai a disapproving look for sharing that information with her before becoming more focused on the news that she had just heard. "Hold on, you were about to_ thank_ him, thank him?" She asked. Lorelai smiled. "So, he knows?" She asked excitedly.

Lorelai nodded happily. "He's right there with me, Hon."

Rory smiled and looked around as if in thought. "Well, this news makes the trip worth it," she said gleefully. Suddenly, she looked to Lorelai with wide eyes.

"What?" Lorelai asked worriedly.

"He left," she said like it was new news.

"Yes, he did," Lorelai said relaxing.

"He left--he left because of me," she said in a panicked tone.

"Yes, he did," Lorelai replied with a wide smile.

"Thanks, Mom," Rory said sardonically in response to the non-save.

"Well, he did," she said accusingly. "Remember your old friend Mr. Honesty? He still hangs around here sometimes."

"Yeah, well, I need new friends," Rory said distractedly. She focused on her mom once again. "I can fix this," she said thoughtfully. "I can fix this--I can, uh, leave." She stood up. "Just, uh, pretend I wasn't here--that I didn't come."

"Rory, don't worry about it. It's not a huge deal," Lorelai said dismissively.

"Really?" Rory asked in a skeptical tone.

"No, Honey, Mommy was _lying,_" she answered quickly with a grin.

"Mom, I can't believe you're joking right now. I came home and messed up you guy's...moment or whatever."

"Rory," Lorelai began, "...Cupcake..Sweetheart...Ruiner of all things pleasurable..."

"Gross."

"Joking," Lorelai replied happily. "Seriously, it's fine. Luke and I," she began, smiling even wider at his name, "...are on the same page now. This doesn't have an expiration date, Love. We have time."

"Where's the phone?" Rory asked, ignoring Lorelai.

"Who are you calling?"

"Luke," Rory mumbled as she spotted the phone.

"Hooo--" Lorelai jumped up and ran in front of the phone, "--oold up," she finished. "Why are you calling Luke?"

"So he can come back over here," she said logically.

"Rory," Lorelai began, "I don't--no--I don't need you to set up any sex dates. I told you it's fine. Calm down." She tried to urge Rory back toward the couch. "You want to watch TV or something?"

"Mom, I'm not two years old, okay? You can't use television to sidetrack me."

"Okay, first of all, let's just ignore the obvious blow since you got _me _like that a week ago. Secondly, I'm not trying to," Lorelai defended. "I just want you to take a second and calm down. You're getting all _Serious Rory _on me."

"Okay, Mom, listen to me. Either way, I was planning on leaving." She pointed toward the door. "I'm heading back to school. That was the plan, anyway," she said slowly. "To come home, grab my phone, gripe _just a little_, and then leave." She looked at Lorelai seriously. "You still want me to watch TV?"

Lorelai paused. "You don't have to leave," she said halfheartedly.

"Okay, you know, I think 'The Love Boat' is on, and--" Rory said walking toward the TV.

"BUT," Lorelai yelled, jumping in her path, "If you have to get back, I'll understand," Lorelai said nodding.

"Thought so," Rory responded as she turned back toward the phone. She picked it up and began to dial before Lorelai could say anything.

"Rory, who are you calling?" Lorelai asked again with exasperation.

"I told you--Luke. He should be back by now, right?" She responded casually as she brought the phone to her ear.

"I do not need you to--"

"It's ringing," Rory said before tossing her mom the phone.

Lorelai caught it. "This isn't at all disturbing," she mumbled, placing the phone against her ear.

Rory smiled at her mom's frown. "You can hang up, you know? I mean, you have plenty of time, right?" She dared.

Lorelai rolled her eyes like it was an absolutely ridiculous request. "Well, I don't want to waste a perfectly good phone ca--Luke, hi," she said suddenly, breaking out in a smile.

Rory chuckled silently and mouthed a _'see you later' _to Lorelai before grabbing her things and leaving.

Lorelai watched the front door close. "No," she continued. "Nothing's wrong. I just called...to see how you were."

"You mean, since ten minutes ago when I last saw you?" Luke asked lightly.

"Exactly. How has the last 600 seconds been working out for you?"

"Fine," he answered. "How about you?"

Lorelai paused. "Could have been better."

"Hold on," Luke said quickly. Lorelai heard a little rustling on the line, and then the background noise died down. "There," he said coming back on the line. "That's better," he said, releasing a sigh.

"Where'd you go?"

"Storeroom."

"Oh." A long pause followed.

"So," Luke began, "Um, what are you guys up to tonight?"

Lorelai smiled. "Nothing...actually. Rory took off."

"Oh, so she's heading back to school, then?" He asked sheepishly.

"Leaving me all alone," Lorelai said casually. She paused again and looked down. "Do you...have any ideas of what I could do to stay occupied?"

Luke swallowed. "You could, uh, come to the diner," he suggested.

"I could."

"Or..."

A huge smile spread over her lips. "Or..." She urged lightly.

"Lane and Caesar are both here, so the diner's pretty much covered..."

"Mmmm-hmmm," she pushed.

"So," he continued, "I could come over--if you want. Only if you want," he said.

If Lorelai had known how to back-flip without breaking all of her vertebrae, she would have in that moment. "I want," she said softly.

"Okay," he said relieved. "Um, I'll, uh, be right over, okay?"

"Okay, see you then."

Once they hung up, Lorelai lay down and covered her face with her hands. She muffled a scream into her palms. He was coming. Luke was coming. And she was happy, ecstatic even, to know that she would finally be given the chance to unleash all of the feelings that he'd been causing to stir inside of her.

She hopped up and took a moment to steady her her nerves. "Okay," she said aloud, "I should change--should I change--no, he liked me understated--I think I'm okay--yeah, yeah, I'll just," she sat down, "Relax." She started to breathe steadily. "This is Luke. Calm down and breathe," she told herself.

While it felt just a little silly to be waiting on an appointment to...get physical, Lorelai sat anxiously awaiting Luke's return. Not ten minutes had passed before there was another knock on the door. Lorelai immediately stood up, ready to rush over, but she stopped herself before she could do so. She began to stroll at a moderate pace toward the entrance. She pulled the door open.

"Hi," she said to Luke. Her eyes immediately connected with his, and he looked intensely back to her.

"Hey," he said back. He stepped inside, his hands planted firmly in his side pockets. He finally looked away as he passed by her.

Lorelai closed the door and turned to face him. "Okay, um, can I get you some refreshment?" she asked with a goofy smile. She hoped it hadn't sounded as ridiculous as it had felt coming out of her mouth. Luke's sudden chuckle dispelled any hope of that.

"Refreshment?" He teased.

"What? You're my guest," she said pointing a hand to him. "I'm being a good hostess here."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course," Luke said. "You were saying?" Lorelai looked at him, her smile getting out of control.

She finally continued. "Well, I went grocery shopping--"

"Really?" Luke teased.

"Really," she answered. "So, whatever you want, if I have it, it's yours."

Luke gave her a slow nod while keeping his eyes glued on her. He licked his lips thoughtfully, and that one movement caused Lorelai to wonder exactly why it was that they were standing so far apart. "Whatever I want?" Luke asked with a penetrating gaze.

Lorelai swallowed. "Whatever your heart desires," she managed to say.

"Really?" He asked distractedly.

"Absolutely," she said staring intently at him.

Luke was looking hard at her. So much passion burned behind his eyes, and it was having an extreme affect on Lorelai. Suddenly, he looked down, breaking eye contact. Lorelai blinked rapidly, getting her head back in order.

"Oh, um, kay," she said feeling out of sorts. "I'll just--" She pointed toward the kitchen. He still looked down to the floor. She walked toward him on her way to the kitchen. She wasn't heading in there for anything specific, but she needed to do something. She needed to move. _Something _. Before she could pass by him, Luke reached out a hand and placed it lightly on her midsection, stopping her.

Lorelai drew in a breath, and she closed her eyes briefly. With great hesitance, she inched her eyes over to where he stood. When their eyes met, Luke looked for any signs of doubt. The tiniest, briefest flicker of uncertainty in her pupils would have prompted him to remove his hand and step back. No questions asked. But what he saw was the very opposite. He saw want. Desire. Anticipation. Fire. Arousal. All of these jumped out and succinctly blended with his own powerful charges.

He moved over slowly and positioned himself in front of her. He moved his eyes down to where his hand rested, now on her left side. Moving it to the outside of her arm, he slid it upward to just above her elbow before mimicking the gesture with his other hand. He could feel goose bumps form beneath his touch as he gingerly rubbed along her arms. He stilled his hands and moved only his thumbs up and down sensually.

"Are you okay?" He asked seriously as he stared into her glazed eyes. Lorelai had brought her palms up to rest just below his chest. At Luke's question, she slowly slid her hands down until she reached the bottom of his flannel. She lifted the soft cotton and placed her hands lightly on the top of his pants, all while looking softly into his eyes. She moved her hands with a delicate touch from the sides of his belt buckle to the front and let her hands rest there, the nails of her thumbs softly combing at his thin undershirt.

"Luke...I want you...so much," she admitted softly. Immediately, she felt exposed. She suddenly felt as if every hidden emotion and every secret were up for grabs. Why that feeling had chosen to sweep over here after such an admission was a mystery. It was telling, but trivial at most where rooted and permanent emotions were concerned. At least to the naked...ear.

Lorelai knew differently, though. Not only was her ear trained to pick up and store referential potentials, it was also connected to the brain that had thought up the 'trivial' remark. Her desire for him ran far beyond the physical. It would not be exalted as soon as the sweat had dried. She was exposed alright. And waiting for him to rescue her from the edge on which she so dangerously teetered.

Luke smiled a small smile, one that combined feelings of relief, adoration, and lustful attraction, the latter keeping a level of containment due to more primal attraction.

"I want _you_, Lorelai." And there it was. The edge didn't look as frightening with Luke there. By her side. He leaned down and kissed her, and all at once, Lorelai forgot. She forgot...about the tenderness that was to forego and coincide with the experience. She forgot about the soft, almost virgin-like kisses she had imagined would accompany the act. She forgot about the placement of gentle butterfly kisses to his body as he fought to maintain his last bit of self-control. It simply went out of the window when, for the third time out of, what she hoped would be countless times, Luke pressed his full, warm delectable-tasting lips to hers.

Lips parted, and this time Lorelai didn't hesitate in reciprocating. Luke's hands tightly grasped her back, and Lorelai's hands still rested at the top of his pants. The kiss started off slow. Deep. Then, there was urgency. One that had Luke breaking the kiss to give special attention to her neck. One of Lorelai's hands came up and slowly removed his ball cap, tossing it to the floor. Light moans escaped her lips as he worked feverishly on her skin. She rubbed her fingers softly over the hairs at the base of his neck before returning that hand to join the other.

She backed up slightly, making sure not to detach herself from his lips. She began to slide his belt strap out of its loops. Once his belt was completely undone, she stuck her fingers slightly inside his pants and gently pulled, urging him to move forward. He walked into her, and she allowed her arms to find a place around his neck. Luke returned his mouth to hers, and they kissed. And kissed. Deeper and deeper they both slipped into this new, unexplored level of connectedness and passion.

Luke bent at the knees causing their height levels to be reversed, but the kiss did not suffer. He placed his hands on the backs of both her thighs and applied a gentle pressure. Lorelai got the message, and she grasped his shoulders and hopped as Luke did the task of lifting her completely off of the ground. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Their lips connected once again, and they proceeded to make up for the two seconds apart that had been sacrificed for the climb.

He began to walk with her securely attached to him. Her hands moved through his hair and his moved caressingly over her back as he took careful steps.

When he made it to the couch, she hopped down, and he sat down slowly. Lorelai leaned over him, grabbing the back of the couch as she sat down on top of him in a tight straddle. The kissing resumed. Lorelai's shirt was discarded. The kissing continued. Luke's flannel and undershirt was thrown hastily to the floor. Luke turned and lay vertically on the sofa. Lorelai shifted and positioned her body to where her center was in full contact with his. Luke released a strangled moan, and Lorelai drew in a breath and lifted herself up slightly as she felt him harden considerably beneath her. She slowly lowered herself back onto that part of his body, and she leaned down, kissing him along his jaw. She continued to move her hips in a circular motion, trying hard to keep her body under control, but unable to stop movement. The stimulation was incredible.

"Lorelai," Luke groaned. He didn't know how long he'd be able to take that particular motion.

"Hmmm?" Lorelai breathed out. She bit her lip and continued grinding.

"Lorelai," he said more strongly.

"Sorry," she whispered, slowing her movements down until she was able to stop. "Do you," Kiss "Have a condom on you?" She asked breathily.

Luke closed his eyes and tried to settle himself back down. "Yeah, uh, in my pocket," he said.

Lorelai smiled and gave him a lingering kiss. She reached one hand down and slid it in his right pocket, feeling not only a square-shaped object, but _him _as well as his jeans seemed to be unable to house his expansion.

She placed one foot on the floor and stood up pulling him with her. Her eyes fell instantly to his very noticeable erection, and she had trouble forming sentences. "Let's, uh, go to my--" She said pointing up the staircase. Luke nodded, and they headed upstairs quickly. Before they were even fully inside, Lorelai turned around and attached her mouth to his while furiously working on his pants button. Luke unclipped her bra. Lorelai allowed the bra to fall to the floor and moaned out his name as he cupped both her breasts in his hands. He leaned down and brought his mouth to one of her hardened nipples before taking time to appreciate the other. When he stood back up, Lorelai's impatience took back over as she finished her job of removing his pants. She turned and pushed him gently to the mattress, and he lay down. Stark naked, and _fully _aroused.

Lorelai looked down to him, craving him in every way that a person could crave another. She slowly brought her hands to her own pants and removed them while watching Luke watch her. Her underwear was next, and once they hit the floor, she stood there completely exposed to him.

Luke's eyes traveled up and down her body over and over, finding that it _was_ possible to have all your dreams realized and brought to life in a moment. In an endless string of moments.

Lorelai climbed onto the bed, and Luke picked up the condom, opened it, and slid it firmly in place. Lorelai wasted no time placing herself over him. In one fluid motion, like they were completely in sync, Lorelai and Luke connected in the most intimate way. They both paused, allowing the pleasure to wash over their bodies. They needed this. This connection finally brought to an end the longing...the wanting. For them both. In that pause, Lorelai was able to remember. This was Luke, and they were finally here. In this place. She began to remember all of the soft touches that she'd imagined would take place. The gentle kisses.

She leaned her body up, and stared down into his eyes as he lay flat on the mattress. She slowly lifted herself up and came back down even slower. Her breathing came out choppy, and her mouth fell open as she tried her best to remain looking at him. Through the rush of sensations.

His eyes were dark. Dark and beautiful as he held eye contact with her as well. When she came up and went down again, he nearly lost all of his sensibilities. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, turning them both over into a missionary position. Wherever his mouth landed, he would kiss. _So softly_...as he moved his lower half, pushing himself deep into her body.

"Luke..." Lorelai called out softly. Her eyes rolled closed, and she squirmed slightly beneath him. "Oh my god," she chanted sweetly.

They continued on that way, Luke filling her completely with every downward stroke.

When Lorelai arched her body toward him even more, Luke sensed that she was close. He increased his speed, all the while, looking and paying close attention to her. He wanted to learn her body movements, her facial expressions. In the future, he would know her so well that their lovemaking would be unparalleled. The level of pleasure would reach far past anything physical and into the soul, the psyche. The heart.

She wrapped her limbs tightly around him as her climax came over her. Luke's face tightened as he tried to fight his own release, and even in the midst of her own blissful explosion, she kissed his lips lightly before placing her mouth next to his ear. "Let go," she whispered.

That was all it took. He joined her in orgasmic heaven as she stroked his back, relishing every second of the skin on skin contact. They lay there in silence.

"Luke," Lorelai's voice broke through the quiet.

"Hmm," he said turning his attention on her.

"Nothing," she answered latching her lips onto his. They kissed passionately for several minutes until neither could stand another second without air. "Just that," she breathed out.

He smiled weakly, pulling himself slowly away from her and rolling over. He pulled her near to him, and they snuggled up closely, both looking out the window at the setting sun.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Excuse me, sir?" Luke turned toward the gentleman that had spoken. "I ordered toast with this, not a roll," he said with attitude.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Let me change that for ya," he said picking up the man's plate.

Lane stopped what she was doing and stared dumbly at Luke. She looked toward the kitchen and caught the same look on Caesar's face. They both shrugged unsurely at one another.

"Maybe he's sick," she mouthed. He nodded and they both returned to their job duties.

Luke had gone in the back, and he came back quickly with the man's plate of food. He set it down in front of him "Here you go, buddy. And, uh, here's a side of pie to go with that. Sorry about the mix-up."

The customer looked to Luke with a satisfied smile. "Thanks," he said, feeling bad about his previous tone.

"No problem," Luke said. He stood swinging his hands back and forth, pushing his fist lightly into his open palm over and over. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Enjoy," he said before walking away.

Luke was headed back around the counter when he stopped and looked at Lane and Caesar. "Why are you guys looking at me?" He asked.

"You're happy," Lane stated.

Luke shrugged with an emerging smile. "I guess."

"You're never happy," she responded.

"What do you mean, 'never'?" He asked.

"You kicked an 85 year old man out yesterday because he was sipping his soup too loud."

"No, I--he was 75 at most, and he was...causing a scene" he defended weakly. "Do you have a point, Lane?"

"No," she said moving along. "Just making an observation."

"Appreciate it," he said sarcastically to her as she walked past him.

He moved back behind the counter just as the bell jingled over the diner's door. Luke looked up, his face lighting up immediately. The newest customer walked over and took a seat on a stool in front of where he stood.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound casual. He tried to look away, to do something other than just look at her, but each time, he'd fail.

"Hey, Handsome," Lorelai replied back. She was having the same problem he was, only she didn't attempt to fight it.

Luke gave her a fleeting look that showed well his desire to have her in that moment, and Lorelai, of course, caught it. She started to laugh lightly. Leaning on her elbows, she got closer to him. "So, um, did you miss me?" She asked sexily. Her eyes darkened as if thoughts of the previous night caused an involuntary covering of her normal blue-eyed innocence.

"I just saw you ten hours ago," he said staring hard into her eyes.

"Is that a 'no'?" She asked smiling.

"Not even close," he said low.

Lorelai stared intensely at him. "What are you doing tonight?" She asked.

His eyes subtley moved up and down the part of her body that was visible over the counter as if responding, 'you'. This, again, caused Lorelai to chuckle. She stood up.

"Call me later?" She asked. Luke nodded and she turned to walk away. She paused before making it to the door and turned back. She walked back toward the counter. She waved Luke closer and when she got back to the counter, she pulled him even closer by his flannel. She pressed her lips against his, and gave him a deep kiss before pulling back.

Luke looked at her, surprised, before quickly scanning the diner. All eyes, at least the eyes of those who knew them, were staring sharply at them. Lorelai released him and smiled wryly. "Definitely call me later," she said. She turned and left the diner, smiling at all of the patrons on her way out.

The diner remained quiet seconds after Lorelai departed. Lane was the first to speak. "Well, I guess that clears up things," she said smartly to Luke. She came around the counter with a coffee pot. "Okay, show's over, people. Who needs a refill?" She asked holding up the pot. Several hands raised and Lane made her way over to them one-by-one.

Luke was still. Recovering from what had just transpired. He snapped out of his stupor and looked around at all the faces. Grabbing the pie plate and a knife, he came around the counter. "Who wants free pie?" He asked loudly.

**THE END**

I have the attention span of a five year old. I really do, but one of these days...maybe one day soon...I am going to do a story that goes into the relationship. I always just kind of wrap it up, like sex is the ultimate ending or something. That's just usually where I get antsy and don't really feel like writing anymore. Sad. And I call myself a romantic??? Please. Anyway, hope you all liked it.


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